<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Yasiel-Puig-fires-back-at-sexual-assault-allegations-during-a-Lakers-game-in-2018.jpg"></figure><h1>Yasiel Puig fires back at sexual assault allegations during a Lakers game in 2018</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T18:11:21-07:00">April 13th, 6:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T18:13:19-07:00">April 13th, 6:13pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Yasiel Puig is in hot water right now following reports of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-yasiel-puig-sued-for-alleged-sexual-battery-at-2018-la-game/">sexual assault charges</a> being filed against the 30-year-old former outfielder. Puig has now come out with his own statement to address his current situation.</p><p>Puig took to <a href="https://twitter.com/YasielPuig/status/1382090110380904450">Twitter</a> to release an official press release with the help of his own legal team:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I released a statement along with my attorneys today. I am encouraging you all to please read. Thank you. <a href="https://t.co/agTMeQ3Onz" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/agTMeQ3Onz</a></p><p>— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) <a href="https://twitter.com/YasielPuig/status/1382090110380904450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>An excerpt from the lengthy statement affirms how Puig is claiming complete innocence in this matter as he denies any and all sexual allegation charges filed against him:</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yasiel Puig fires back at sexual assault allegations during a Lakers game in 2018

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/nfl-vaccination-protocols-stronger-than-mlb-nba-counterparts.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL vaccination protocols stronger than MLB, NBA counterparts</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T11:40:05-07:00">April 13th, 11:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T11:40:49-07:00">April 13th, 11:40am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NFL is not messing around when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations.</p><p>The league informed all 32 teams Tuesday that anyone refusing the vaccine without “bona fide medical or religious ground” will be denied Tier 1 or Tier 2 status, <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1382027411773038596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1382027411773038596%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1091552action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.</a></p><p>Absence of Tier 1 or Tier 2 status restricts access to team facilities and precludes individuals from working with players.</p><p>The NFL is also demanding transparency. Said memo says teams must report weekly number of vaccinations between players and team employees. There is an expectation protocols will eventually be relaxed when a certain vaccination threshold is reached</p><p>Pelissero added the NFL and NFLPA are still having discussions about the functionality of offseason programs with organized team activities scheduled to begin on Monday. Because the workouts are voluntary, the NFLPA is reportedly telling players to boycott if everything is not done virtually:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here’s the full NFL memo, which also says teams must report weekly the number of employees who are vaccinated, as conversations with the NFLPA continue on the thresholds at which protocols on testing, PPE, travel, etc., can be relaxed. <a href="https://t.co/FXuIhFP6Vh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/FXuIhFP6Vh</a></p><p>— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1382028227665821696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Discussions continue between the NFL and NFLPA about what form offseason programs will take, with scheduled Monday start. Union wants all-virtual and has urged players to boycott otherwise. Everything prior to training camp is voluntary, other than one mandatory minicamp in June.</p><p>— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1382030608977694721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Denver Broncos players are the first to announce a boycott:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Broncos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Broncos</a> players become the first team to announce they'll boycott in-person voluntary workouts. The union urged players on a call Friday to take this step, as it continues to push for an all-virtual offseason. <a href="https://t.co/gvwK87aiPf" target="_blank">https://t.co/gvwK87aiPf</a></p><p>— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1382036332004839425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>These protocols would seem to be a bit more stringent than those adopted by the NBA and MLB. The NFL is all but demanding team employees get the vaccine or else be robbed of critical aspects related to their jobs.</p><p>Perhaps this is no surprise considering NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s desire to get back to normalcy for 2021. Goodell said at the end of March he expects to have <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31167366/nfl-expects-full-stadiums-2021-season-commissioner-roger-goodell-says">full stadiums</a> at some point in the new season. While certainly possible, this is somewhat out of the NFL’s hands.</p><p>Vaccination also seemed to be out of the league’s hands when chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/25/nfl-wont-require-covid-19-vaccines-but-will-encourage-them/">said</a> in March the NFL would not require players, coaches or staff to get the vaccine.</p><p>But the NFL seems to be working around that by taking a restrictive approach in encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL vaccination protocols stronger than MLB, NBA counterparts

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Twins-Daunte-Wright.jpg"><figcaption>Game postponed between Minnesota and Boston</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins postpone game vs. Red Sox after police killing of Daunte Wright</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-12T11:59:12-07:00">April 12th, 11:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-12T11:59:12-07:00">April 12th, 11:59am</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Twins <a href="https://twitter.com/theothermegryan/status/1381671360682995715">postponed</a> Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in the wake of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/us/brooklyn-center-police-shooting-minnesota.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage">killing of Daunte Wright</a> by a police officer.</p><p>The fatal shooting of Wright, a 20-year old black man, in Brooklyn Center on Sunday night has sparked outrage and protests around the area. Wright’s killing comes while former Minnesota police offer Derek Chauvin is standing trial in Minneapolis for the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020.</p><p>Target Field, in Minneapolis, is about 10 miles from Brooklyn Center.</p><p>The Twins organization released a <a href="https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1381675366490632192">statement</a> on their decision to postpone Monday’s contest against the Red Sox.</p><blockquote>“Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players, and community to not play today’s game.The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials…The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.”</blockquote><p>Wright was shot at a traffic stop after being pulled over for driving a car with an expired registration. After a brief struggle, one of the officers, who has not been publicly identified, pulled her gun and shot him once.</p><p>On Monday, Brooklyn Center police chief Tim Gannon said he believes the officer meant to use her taser.</p><blockquote>“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser, but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet. This appears to me, from what I viewed, and the officer’s reaction and distress immediately after, that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in a tragic death of Mr. Wright.”</blockquote><p>No makeup date was immediately announced by the Minnesota Twins or the MLB.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins postpone game vs. Red Sox after police killing of Daunte Wright

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MLB-odds-Yankees-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Yankees vs. Blue Jays prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-12T08:47:36-07:00">April 12th, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-12T08:54:33-07:00">April 12th, 8:54am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the first of a three-game set in Florida. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Blue Jays prediction and pick.</p><p>New York is coming off a huge win against the Tampa Bay Rays to salvage the series on Sunday. Toronto had Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels postponed due to weather. The Blue Jays took the opening series against the Yankees and will look to repeat that performance in this AL East affair.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Yankees-Blue Jays odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Yankees-Blue Jays Odds</b></h2><p>New York Yankees -1.5 (-124)</p><p>Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 (+104)</p><p>Over 9 Runs (-112)</p><p>Under 9 Runs (-108)</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Yankees started the season 3-2 before losing three of their last four games coming in. They currently sit two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East standings. The Yankees had a huge bounce-back performance against the Rays on Sunday, coming from behind to force extra innings. New York piled on four runs in extras to secure an 8-4 victory to avoid the sweep. Newly acquired infielder Rougned Odor broke the tie with a two-out single to drive in what would be the winning run. Gio Urshela broke the game open with a three-run homer to seal the deal.</p><p>New York currently holds the 13th-best team batting average at .238. DJ LeMahieu leads the squad with 11 hits and 17 total bases. Gio Urshela has been great for the Yankees as well, adding 10 hits and four RBI. New York will turn to ace Gerrit Cole for this series opener. Cole struck out 21 batters combined in his first two starts of the season. He has been great against Toronto in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA across five starts. The Yankees are 5-1 in Cole’s last six starts following a quality start in his previous outing.</p><h2><b>Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Blue Jays got off to a hot start as they took the the opening series against the Yankees. They then proceeded to struggle, losing their next two series against the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays bounced back in a big way in their 15-1 victory against the Angels on Saturday. Toronto is currently the 18th-best offensive team in baseball with a team batting average of .222. The Blue Jays will certainly have their hands full against Gerrit  Cole and a strong Yankees pitching staff.</p><p>Randal Grichuk and Vlad Guerrero Jr. have led the way for the Blue Jays with 11 hits and eight RBI each. Bo Bichette has also been productive this season, adding 10 hits of his own. Toronto will hand the ball to left-hander Robbie Ray for the first time this season. Ray is coming off a phenomenal Spring Training, where he went 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA over four starts. This will be his first start of the season after ending up on the IL with a bruised elbow to start the year.</p><h2><b>Final Yankees-Blue Jays Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Many are likely to pick the Yankees to win every time Gerrit Cole is on the bump, and rightfully so. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and has been lights out to open the season. Cole has dominated Toronto over his career and had a solid outing against the Blue Jays in the season opener. The Yankees’ bats finally woke up in the 10th inning of Sunday’s game against the Rays, which could be a scary sight for the rest of the league. The bullpen has been incredible for New York and could be the difference in this game.</p><p>FINAL PICK: New York Yankees -1.5 (-124)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Yankees vs. Blue Jays prediction, odds, pick, and more

Updating and ranking the 50 greatest MLB players of all time

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/J.D.-Martinez-goes-from-COVID-19-list-to-3-HR-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez goes from COVID-19 list to 3-HR game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-11T13:53:35-07:00">April 11th, 1:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-11T13:54:43-07:00">April 11th, 1:54pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/boston-red-sox" rel="noopener">Boston Red Sox</a> designated hitter J.D. Martinez went on the COVID-19 injured list <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31232176/boston-red-sox-jd-martinez-goes-covid-injured-list-michael-chavis-recalled" rel="noopener">on Saturday.</a> Sunday, Martinez bashed three home runs in a 14-9 win over the Baltimore Orioles.</p><p>Martinez hit solo homers in the third inning, sixth inning and eighth inning. He got a chance in the ninth inning to hit home run No. 4 on the day, but he struck out.</p><p>Still, a 4-for-6 day at the plate with three dingers and four RBI in a win will do.</p><p>Here are the three homers:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anyone order back-to-back oppo tacos? <a href="https://t.co/bUciXmUx44" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/bUciXmUx44</a></p><p>— Red Sox (@RedSox) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1381306174868443141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Honestly, we don't even know what to say anymore. <br>Just wow. <a href="https://t.co/QTnn2pZruO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/QTnn2pZruO</a></p><p>— Red Sox (@RedSox) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1381323165096366081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">J.D. cannot stop hitting home runs. <a href="https://t.co/flP0tiDzqo" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/flP0tiDzqo</a></p><p>— Red Sox (@RedSox) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1381338106461310980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers added two home runs of his own in a dominant performance at the dish.</p><p>Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 list due to cold symptoms. He underwent coronavirus testing and was cleared to play in Sunday’s game.</p><p>The Red Sox slugger has been incredible at the plate so far this season. He’s now hitting .472 with an on-base percentage of .500 after his big performance on Sunday. He has five home runs, 16 RBI and is leading the majors in extra-base hits.</p><p>The 33-year-old Martinez is bouncing back nicely after the shortened 2020 campaign. He first came to the Red Sox in 2018 and promptly had two of the best seasons of his MLB career. He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 and a legitimate MVP candidate in 2018.</p><p>With Martinez mashing, Boston is now up to 6-3 on the season. This has them on top of the AL East, which has gotten off to a sluggish start.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez goes from COVID-19 list to 3-HR game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}.webfeedsFeaturedVisual {	display: None !important;}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <div><img alt="" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/117880-alex-rodriguezs-net-worth-in-2021.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear: both;" width="1200"><p>Former Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez has built up quite an impressive net worth in 2021, and now he is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-alex-rodriguez-to-become-co-owner-of-minnesota-franchise/" target="_blank">reportedly finalizing a deal with billionaire Marc Lore to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves.</a></p><p>While it may be a little surprising to see a former MLB player make a deal to purchase an NBA team, the former shortstop who played for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees is certainly capable of owning a team.</p><h2><strong>Alex Rodriguez’s net worth in 2021 (estimate): $350 million</strong></h2><p><img alt="Timberwolves, Alex Rodriguez" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1084658" height="673" src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/alex-rodriguez-to-become-co-owner-of-minnesota-timberwolves-1.jpg" width="1200"></p><p>According to <a href="https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/richest-baseball/alex-rodriguez-net-worth/" target="_blank">CelebrityNetWorth.com</a>, Rodriguez has a net worth of approximately $350 million. According to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/celebrities/14615153/what-alex-rodriguez-net-worth/" target="_blank">The Sun</a>, the 45-year-old made approximately $450 million throughout his baseball career, which spanned 22 seasons, with his earnings coming from a combination of his salary, bonuses, and endorsements. At one point during his time as a pro baseball player, he was earning around $33 million annually.</p><p>Rodriguez began his pro baseball career as a highly touted prospect and was selected by the Mariners with the first overall pick of the 1993 MLB Draft. That signing included a three-year contract worth $1.3 million with a $1 million signing bonus, earning A-Rod his first big payday. At the end of his stint with the Mariners in 2000, he would earn what was then the richest contract in the sport’s history after inking a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Rangers.</p><p>The 14-time All-Star would eventually opt out of this lucrative deal and sign with the Yankees, this time signing a 10-year, $275 million deal, which was again the largest contract in baseball during its time. It was with the Yankees where he would finally win a championship, as he was part of the New York team that beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series. He played his last baseball game in 2016.</p><p>But aside from his earnings on the baseball diamond, Rodriguez is also a businessman and media personality. He is the founder of A-Rod Corp, a holding company that invests in various companies in the technology, real estate, wellness, and entertainment industries. Some of the companies that A-Rod Corp has invested in include Snapchat, Wheels Up, and the coconut water brand Vita Coco.</p><p>Aside from being the CEO of A-Rod Corp, the longtime Yankees player is also the chairman of Presidente, a Dominican beer company. Rodriguez also had several endorsements throughout his baseball career and now even during retirement. He has appeared in commercials for Pepsi, the video game Guitar Hero World Tour, and Planters.</p><p>As mentioned earlier, he has also remained visible even after retirement, appearing on various shows while also dating Jennifer Lopez. In 2017, Rodriguez signed a deal with the ABC News network and served as a contributor to some of its programs. He is currently an MLB studio analyst for FOX Sports and was previously an analyst for ESPN on its Sunday Night Baseball program. He also hosted the CNBC show Back in the Game in 2019.</p><p>After earning around $400 million from his MLB career, Rodriguez has expanded and has also had success in business and as a media personality, making him one of the richest players in baseball. Even when he was still playing baseball, he already set his sights on the future and established a company, and made some key investments that are paying dividends. How, he can add NBA team owner to his list of accomplishments, where he hopes to bring the same success that he has had to the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/alex-rodriguez-net-worth-2021/" rel="nofollow">Alex Rodriguez’s net worth in 2021</a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow">ClutchPoints</a>.</p></div>    </body></html>

Alex Rodriguez’s net worth in 2021

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/angels-news-dexter-fowlers-acl-injury-opens-door-for-jo-adell-brandon-marsh.jpg"></figure><h1>Angels RF Dexter Fowler’s ACL injury opens door for Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-11T11:31:28-07:00">April 11th, 11:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-11T11:33:18-07:00">April 11th, 11:33am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-angels" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Angels</a> veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler will miss the rest of the season with a torn left ACL, <a href="https://twitter.com/LAAngelsPR/status/1381270149626482688" rel="noopener">the team announced Sunday.</a> Fowler will have surgery at a later date and will likely be out 6-9 months.</p><p>Fowler was carted off the field during Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 35-year-old suffered the injury while running to second base. He arrived at the base awkwardly and went down to the ground in obvious pain.</p><p>While Fowler has struggled offensively in recent years, Angels manager Joe Maddon knows the veteran’s presence will be missed. Maddon saw how important Fowler was during their time together with the Chicago Cubs.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31236899/los-angeles-angels-dexter-fowler-season-torn-acl" rel="noopener">Via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez:</a></p><blockquote>“He’s one of those glue guys, man,” Maddon said. “He really makes a difference. He does. You talk about it all the time with clubhouse guys, but this guy really is one.”</blockquote><p>Juan Lagares and Jose Rojas are first in line to get an increased opportunity with Fowler out, but youngsters Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh could be beneficiaries down the line. Both players are currently preparing for the minor league season and aren’t ready for the big leagues just yet (Adell struggled last season as a rookie), but the Angels’ development staff will keep an eye on them and make the determination for when they can play in the majors.</p><p>Fowler was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in early February and took over as the starting right fielder. He went 5-for-20 at the dish this season before getting injured.</p><p>The Angels entered play Sunday with a 6-3 record, tying them with the Houston Astros in the AL West. Mike Trout is having a ridiculous start to the season to lead the way for Los Angeles, hitting .414 and three dingers already through nine games in 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels RF Dexter Fowler’s ACL injury opens door for Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nationals-Dodgers-Prediction-Nationals-Dodgers-Odds-Nationals-Dodgers-Pick-Nationals-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Nationals vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-11T10:20:41-07:00">April 11th, 10:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-11T10:20:41-07:00">April 11th, 10:20am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Nationals are looking to avoid the sweep in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s time to kick off our MLB odds series and make a Nationals-Dodgers prediction and pick.</p><p>The Dodgers pulled off a resounding 9-3 victory against Washington yesterday to clinch this three-game series. We will get an exciting battle of the aces in this third and final game as Max Scherzer gets set to take on Clayton Kershaw.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Nationals-Dodgers odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Nationals-Dodgers Odds</b></h2><p>Washington Nationals +1.5 (-140)</p><p>Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+120)</p><p>Over 7.5 Runs (+100)</p><p>Under 7.5 Runs (-120)</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Washington Nationals were absolutely destroyed in a 9-5 defeat on Saturday following a tough 1-0 loss in the series opener. Patrick Corbin had a disappointing start for the Nats in Game 2, allowing six earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. The 2019 World Series champions will hope to get the struggling bats going against the defending champs in the series finale.</p><p>The Nationals have to be licking their chops at the opportunity to get after Clayton Kershaw once again. The last time they saw the left-hander was in the 2019 NLDS. They beat Kershaw in Game 2 of that series and got him again with two home runs in the top of the eighth inning in the deciding fifth game. Juan Soto has gotten off to another great start this season, hitting .375 with two long-balls. Trea Turner has also shown flashes of added power with two homers of his own.</p><p>Mad Max Scherzer will look to have a bounce-back performance in his second start of 2021. Scherzer gave up four earned runs in six innings of work in his first start against the Atlanta Braves. He did strike out nine with no walks, which was a promising sight for the right-hander. He is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts against LA since joining the Nats. All three career wins have happened to come at Dodger Stadium, too.</p><h2><b>Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched their third-straight series victory of the 2021 campaign. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-world-series-ring-ceremony-features-happy-clayton-kershaw-ken-griffey-jr-s-joe-kelly-face/">defending champs</a> will look to complete their first series sweep of the young season, though. Clayton Kershaw will get the opportunity to take it home against a Nationals lineup that has struggled to do much of anything this far.</p><p>The Dodgers’ offense has been absolutely monstrous to start the season. The team is slashing a staggering .295/.392/.474. They are a top-five team in runs scored, hits, and walks coming into this game. Los Angeles is averaging six runs per game and has a combined 10 runs in the first two games of this series.</p><p>It is always a great sign for the Dodgers when they see their ace on the bump. Clayton Kershaw is currently 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 2021. He is coming off of an impressive seven-inning effort against Oakland in his last start. Kershaw allowed just four hits and one earned run against the Athletics. Clayton has a nice matchup against a Nats lineup that has struggled to do anything against Dodgers pitching, especially in this series.</p><h2><b>Final Nationals-Dodgers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>I could very well see this series finale being a pitcher’s duel between two of the best arms in baseball. The under is a good play in a game that features one of the worst lineups in the league right now. Washington’s offense is struggling to do anything and has shown no signs of life in this series. Clayton Kershaw is coming off of a great outing and will certainly look to build on it in the finale. Max Scherzer has had a ton of success against the Dodgers in recent history and knows what it will take to come away with a victory. No Mookie Betts or Cody Bellinger certainly helps our cause.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Under 7.5 Runs (-120)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Nationals vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Yankees-Rays-Prediction-Yankees-Rays-Odds-Yankees-Rays-Pick-Yankees-Rays.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Yankees vs. Rays prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-11T09:30:28-07:00">April 11th, 9:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-11T09:30:28-07:00">April 11th, 9:30am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Rays will host the New York Yankees for the third and final time of this three-game set. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Rays prediction and pick.</p><p>Tampa Bay has taken the first two games of this series despite being the underdog in both. The Rays have taken 12 of the last 15 head-to-head games against New York.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Yankees-Rays odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Yankees-Rays Odds</b></h2><p>New York Yankees -1.5 (+110)</p><p>Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-130)</p><p>Over 9 Runs (-105)</p><p>Under 9 Runs (-115)</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The New York Yankees have extremely high expectations in 2021 with the second-best odds of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/world-series-odds-on-2021-mlb-opening-day/">winning the World Series</a>. New York is also heavily favored to win the AL East with one of the best lineups in baseball. The Yankees have significantly better odds than Tampa to take the division despite the Rays leading the way in 2020.</p><p>New York has gotten off to a disappointing start to the season with a 3-5 record. The Bronx Bombers have lost three-straight games and are looking to avoid the sweep in Tampa. The Yankees are currently 13th in the league in scoring at 4.3 runs per game and 11th in team batting average, hitting .248 on the young season. Aaron Judge is leading the way, hitting .364 with two long-balls and two RBI. Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez have each added two home runs of their own.</p><p>Jordon Montgomery will take the mound for the second time this season. Montgomery threw six shutout innings in the Yankees’ 7-0 victory against Baltimore on Monday. He allowed four hits with no walks and struck out seven. Montgomery went 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 2020 and has a career ERA just over five against Tampa Bay. The Yankees’ bullpen has been as good as advertised with the third-best ERA in baseball.</p><h2><b>Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Tampa Bay Rays are the second most likely team to win the AL East in 2021 behind the rival Yankees. The Rays offense is essentially the same as last year’s, but the pitching rotation is expected to regress this season. They traded away the 2018 Cy Young award winner in Blake Snell and lost right-hander Charlie Morton to Atlanta in free agency. The Rays are 4-4 this season and have won the first two games of this series, 10-5 and 4-0.</p><p>Tampa Bay’s offense is currently 14th in the league with 4.7 runs per game. Manuel Margot is leading the way in hitting with a .300 batting average. Austin Meadows has hit two homers and Joey Wendle has added a team-high seven RBI. The Rays have a young lineup full of pop in 2021.</p><p>Michael Wacha gets the nod for Tampa Bay in the series finale. Wacha went 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA in seven starts for the Mets in 2020. He threw five innings and allowed five runs in Monday’s 11-2 loss against the Boston Red Sox. Michael is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. The Rays bullpen has struggled this season with a 7.56 ERA, which is last in baseball.</p><h2><b>Final Blue Yankees-Rays Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Pitching will be the difference in this series finale between the Yankees and the Rays. New York will have the edge on the bump as Montgomery is expected to have a solid year and had a great start against an improved Baltimore Orioles lineup. Michael Wacha has struggled in recent history and doesn’t have a good track record against New York. The Rays bullpen has been horrid and a close game late will almost always go the Yankees’ way. Look for New York’s offense to get back on track in a huge way to end this series.</p><p>FINAL PICK: New York Yankees ML (-135)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Yankees vs. Rays prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-11_113742.png"></figure><h1>Braun Strowman throws Shane McMahon off top of steel cage in Wrestlemania 37</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-10T20:41:12-07:00">April 10th, 8:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-10T20:41:12-07:00">April 10th, 8:41pm</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">WWE</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Braun Strowman had a ton of pent up anger towards Shane McMahon heading up to their clash at WrestleMania 37. And on the night one of WWE’s flagship event, The Monster Among Men took full advantage of his opportunity to exact his revenge towards the son of the owner of WWE. Stowman did so by throwing Shane O’Mac off the top of 15-foot steel cage and down into the mat.</p><p>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1381073132153233412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1381073132153233412%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1085092action%3Dedit">insane spot</a> below, via Bleacher Report:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">HE THREW SHANE MCMAHON OFF THE STEEL CAGE 🤯</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@WWE</a>)<a href="https://t.co/spMIjzsEV2" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/spMIjzsEV2</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1381073132153233412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Ah, the usual “Shane McMahon gets thrown off incredible heights” moment that we all know and love. McMahon, 51, is known to pull off these daredevil spots during the times he does step in the squared circle. Among the memorable ones include the time The Undertaker threw him off the top of the Hell in a Cell back in WrestleMania 32.</p><p>Shane O’Mac looked like he was on his way to defeating Strowman in the Steel Cage Match, where one of the ways to win is to escape the structure. McMahon already made his way to the outside of the cage and just needed to jump down to the canvas to pick up the win. But in an incredible show of strength, Strowman ripped apart the cage and got McMahon back in the cage.</p><p>This only spelled doom for Shane O’Mac in Wrestelmania 37, as Strowman gave him those hands. And then, Strowman did it. The Monster positioned McMahon at the top of the cage. With both men standing at the top of the 15-foot structure, Strowman lunged McMahon in the air and sent him crashing down onto the canvass. Strowman then finished off McMahon by delivering an emphatic running powerslam for the pin and the win.</p><p>All those weeks of calling him Strowman “stupid” didn’t exactly end well for Shane McMahon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braun Strowman throws Shane McMahon off top of steel cage in Wrestlemania 37

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mets-news-jacob-degrom-does-something-which-had-happened-in-only-once-in-152-previous-years.jpg"></figure><h1>Jacob deGrom’s absurd stat line for Mets seen just once in past 152 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-10T15:58:26-07:00">April 10th, 3:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-10T15:58:57-07:00">April 10th, 3:58pm</time><address><a>Matthew Zemek</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets keeps living through a personal Groundhog Day… <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/new-york-mets/news">and yet</a> while his losses despite brilliant pitching aren’t new, Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Miami Marlins (in which he gave up only one run) was extremely rare in <a href="https://twitter.com/JayCat11/status/1380963923688615942">one specific sense.</a></p><p>The brutality of being a Mets fan was underscored by this historical fact unearthed during Saturday’s wasted gem by deGrom. You can’t make this stuff up, but it keeps happening to the elite starting pitcher for the Amazins. (Amazin’ly frustrating, that is.)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jacob deGrom: 14 Ks, 0 BB, 1 R and in line for the loss at the moment.</p><p>That stat line – including the loss – has only ever happened ONCE in MLB history.</p><p>James Shields (15 Ks, 0 BB, 1 R) lost to the O's on 10/2/12.</p><p>— Jason Catania (@JayCat11) <a href="https://twitter.com/JayCat11/status/1380963923688615942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It is mind-boggling: 14 or more strikeouts, no walks. It is the embodiment of elite pitching to get lots of hitters to swing and miss while not walking anyone. Pitching with control and power, with location and movement, is the height of the craft. Jacob deGrom is as great as any other starting pitcher in Major League Baseball today. He is a central reason why the Mets have a great chance to win every time he takes the ball and goes to the hill.</p><p>It makes the Mets a head-scratcher — their inability to give deGrom any little bread crumb of run support in a large percentage of his starts is hard to fully comprehend.</p><p>This is simply crazy, and it drives Mets fans bonkers:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Mets</a> Jacob deGrom has made 78 starts over his last four seasons:</p><p>Victories:<br>25 – 1.11 ERA</p><p>Games he lost:<br>20 – 3.80 ERA</p><p>No decisions:<br>33 – 1.76 ERA</p><p>New York is 36-42 in those games.</p><p>— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) <a href="https://twitter.com/theaceofspaeder/status/1380971315373477889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Think that’s enough to wrap your mind around as a follower of the Mets? Try this fact as well:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is the 59th (!!) time out of Jacob deGrom’s 185 starts that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Mets</a> have scored between 0-2 runs for him.</p><p>— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoePantorno/status/1380966032559464452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>If you do the quick math, that’s close to 30 percent of deGrom’s 185 starts in which the Mets have given him practically zero run support. Keep in mind that on a few occasions, deGrom himself is the only man who drives in a run, so in reality, his teammates aren’t always the ones who score for him. Sometimes deGrom is the ONLY one doing the work for the New York National League ballclub.</p><p>Maybe one day, the Mets can regularly support Jacob deGrom. Saturday — a shutout loss to the Marlins — was not that day.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jacob deGrom’s absurd stat line for Mets seen just once in past 152 years

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-10_233757.png"></figure><h1>Friday’s miraculous day across NBA, MLB was a first in sports history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-10T08:37:05-07:00">April 10th, 8:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-10T08:39:31-07:00">April 10th, 8:39am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Friday was a spectacular day in the sporting world. MLB games, NBA games, and the Master’s Tournament were all seen across the world. However, history was made between the MLB and NBA, as we witnessed great performances between three professional athletes, <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1380891038387208197">per SportsCenter</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">What a Friday night 🤯👏 <a href="https://t.co/yrPPrjZHwI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/yrPPrjZHwI</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1380891038387208197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Joe Musgrove, a San Diego native, threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on the same night Zach LaVine and Jayson Tatum <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-zach-lavine-spooked-when-he-heard-how-many-50-point-games-michael-jordan-had/">both dropped</a> 50+ plus points. It’s the first time in history anything like this has happened on the same night, making April ninth one for the history books.</p><p>Musgrove finished with 10 strikeouts and only allowing one baserunner throughout the entire game against the Texas Rangers. Additionally, Zach LaVine scored 50 points for the Chicago Bulls that didn’t equate to a win. On the other hand, the Boston Celtics secured a victory with the help of Jayson Tatum’s 53 points.</p><p>A thrilling night for sports fans who love both sports. Pitching a no-no is one of the most difficult feats in all of sports, and it’s not every day we see an NBA player drop 50 points.</p><p>The Padres are off to a hot start going 5-3 to start the season. The franchise has done everything they can to finally build a solid roster. Musgrove’s no-hitter only builds confidence in this team. As for the Bulls and Celtics, both teams are fighting for playoff position. LaVine has been lights out all season long, while Tatum continues to be the superstar player in Boston.</p><p>With multiple games in the MLB and NBA, could we witness another historic night in a second consecutive day in a row? Only time will tell.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Friday’s miraculous day across NBA, MLB was a first in sports history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Ronald-Acuna-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. hits an absolute moonshot into orbit, stares down pitcher</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T20:29:06-07:00">April 9th, 8:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T20:29:06-07:00">April 9th, 8:29pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/atlanta-braves">Atlanta Braves</a> outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. smashed one out of the park in emphatic fashion on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies. His home run was so impressive that he just had to stare down Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after sending the ball flying.</p><p>Here’s a look at Acuna’s awesome drive and his even more awesome post-homer stare-down:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="da">RONALD ACUÑA JR. HAMMERS A CEMENT MIXER OVER THE DAMN TREES <a href="https://t.co/RqMwXwgo5U" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/RqMwXwgo5U</a></p><p>— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jared_Carrabis/status/1380686120963477510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>For a second there it looked like Ronald Acuna Jr. was about to take off for first base. He quickly realized that he had hit the pitch so cleanly that it was well on its way out of centerfield. He checked himself immediately and decided to just casually strut his way to first. He just had to give Wheeler “the look” though as he scored on his second home run of the evening.</p><p>Wheeler threw an 89.7 mph slider on Ronald Acuna Jr., which apparently wasn’t the best decision from the Phillies pitcher. Acuna’s line drive in the bottom of the fifth inning resulted in a two-run home run for the Braves. The 23-year-old finished four-for-five at the player to go with a pair of doubles and two RBI’s.</p><p>His blast to deep center field was the third on the season for Acuna, as he continues to emerge as one of the elite baseball players in the league.</p><p>Thanks to Ronald Acuna Jr.’s heroics, the Braves emerged with a blowout victory over the Phillies, 8-1. These two teams battle it out again on Saturday and again on Sunday to close the series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. hits an absolute moonshot into orbit, stares down pitcher

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-10_110449.png"></figure><h1>Hometown kid Joe Musgrove records first no-hitter in Padres history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T20:06:15-07:00">April 9th, 8:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T20:06:15-07:00">April 9th, 8:06pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>How can you not love baseball? San Diego Padres pitcher and hometown hero Joe Musgrove just became the first to record a no-hitter in franchise history.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joe Musgrove does it! The kid from San Diego has thrown the first no-hitter in <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Padres</a> history! </p><p>How can you not be romantic about baseball?! <a href="https://t.co/PTmV2Ix0Wr" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/PTmV2Ix0Wr</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1380715475399741444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Check out the final in-field whimper he forced to get the job done in the 9th inning.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JOE MUSGROVE HAS DONE IT!!! <a href="https://t.co/MKxj42ALTL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/MKxj42ALTL</a></p><p>— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) <a href="https://twitter.com/fuzzyfromyt/status/1380715742480371712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Take your bow, Joe Musgrove. You’ve earned it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hometown kid Joe Musgrove records first no-hitter in Padres history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Yankees-news-COVID-19-vaccine-side-effects-force-Gio-Urshela-from-lineup-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>COVID-19 vaccine side effects force Gio Urshela from Yankees lineup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T14:09:50-07:00">April 9th, 2:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T14:10:42-07:00">April 9th, 2:10pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list after experiencing side effects from getting the vaccine.</p><p>Urshela was supposed to be hitting eighth in the order for Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/new-york-yankees/roster">the team placed him</a> on IL just before the first pitch. In a corresponding move, infielder Mike Ford was recalled from the alternate site.</p><p>Numerous members of the organization received the vaccine on Wednesday. The team issued an accompanying statement:</p><blockquote>“The New York Yankees would like to offer their sincere thanks to Dr. Philip Ozuah, President of Montefiore Medical Center, and the hard-working and dedicated group of medical staff from this Bronx-based hospital,” the statement read, via <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31223672/vaccine-side-effects-land-new-york-yankees-gio-urshela-covid-injured-list">ESPN’s Marly Rivera</a>, “who have been on-site at Yankee Stadium this evening to administer COVID vaccinations to New York Yankees players, coaches, field staff and support staff. This process has been seamless and efficient, and we are grateful that by receiving the vaccine, we can contribute to stopping the spread of COVID-19.”</blockquote><p>Urshela seems to be dealing with some setbacks after getting the vaccine.</p><p>The 29-year-old has been a critical piece for the Yankees in the past couple of years, hitting .314 with a .889 OPS in 2019 and posting a career-high 138 OPS+ in 2020. He had gotten off to a bit of a slower start in 2021, hitting .261 with a .596 OPS.</p><p>New York is quite used to playing without its starters. The Bronx Bombers have endured a myriad of injuries to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the past couple of seasons and were already without Luke Voit (meniscus) to start the 2021 campaign.</p><p>The Yankees will have to deal with being down another starter with Urshela on the shelf for the time being.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

COVID-19 vaccine side effects force Gio Urshela from Yankees lineup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dodgers_-World-Series-ring-ceremony-features-happy-Clayton-Kershaw-Ken-Griffey-Jr.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ World Series ring ceremony features happy Clayton Kershaw, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Joe Kelly face</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T12:53:17-07:00">April 9th, 12:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T12:53:17-07:00">April 9th, 12:53pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers had their ring ceremony ahead of Friday’s tilt with the Washington Nationals, with longtime starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw looking like a jubilant little boy.</p><p>Kershaw was perhaps the best modern pitcher yet to win a World Series until the Dodgers’ triumph last October. The postseason also erased years of postseason demons for the future Hall of Famer.</p><p>It was quite evident just how much the moment meant to Kershaw on Friday. He was beaming from ear to ear as he received his first championship ring.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">He looks so happy, lol. <a href="https://t.co/qGNWPrldnI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/qGNWPrldnI</a></p><p>— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/1380600194723553280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sorry. <a href="https://t.co/DhOCoO4Yrv" target="_blank">https://t.co/DhOCoO4Yrv</a> <a href="https://t.co/b2Q7Lmlvo3" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/b2Q7Lmlvo3</a></p><p>— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/1380601388976074752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The ceremony also featured a hilarious cameo from Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who did the “Joe Kelly” face before the right-handed reliever was announced.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ken Griffey Jr. (with the Joe Kelly face impersonation😂): "Joe Kelly, you all know who he is, you can pitch for my team anytime." <a href="https://t.co/ipywH66iBH" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ipywH66iBH</a></p><p>— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/1380600823227506699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The face, of course, is a reference to Kelly’s <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/07/dodgers-astros-joe-kelly-memes-mocking-faces">memeable</a> expression made during a game against the Houston Astros early in the 2020 season.</p><p>Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/roster">celebrated its first title</a> since 1988 on Friday. But the Dodgers very well could be celebrating two straight World Series wins later this year.</p><p>Dave Roberts’ team has looked every bit as excellent as it was last year, if not even better. The lineup is incredibly dangerous, especially with rookie infielder Gavin Lux making his presence felt and shortstop Corey Seager hitting everything in sight.</p><p>The rotation is every bit as good, in spite of Kershaw’s early struggles. Young arms Julio Urias and Dustin May were particularly dominant in their first starts of the season.</p><p>Los Angeles will look to become the first repeat champs since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. But first the Dodgers took time to appreciate past accomplishments.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ World Series ring ceremony features happy Clayton Kershaw, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Joe Kelly face

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dodgers-1-Trevor-Bauer-Dave-Roberts.jpg"><figcaption>MLB is investigating the balls Bauer used</figcaption></figure><h1>Dave Roberts accuses MLB of singling out Trevor Bauer with investigation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T11:47:23-07:00">April 9th, 11:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T11:53:20-07:00">April 9th, 11:53am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dodgers-pitcher-trevor-bauer-being-investigated-by-mlb-for-suspicious-baseballs/">Major League Baseball might have a vendetta against Trevor Bauer.</a></p><p><a href="https://theathletic.com/2507091/2021/04/08/multiple-suspicious-baseballs-from-dodgers-trevor-bauer-sent-to-mlb-for-inspection/">Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic</a> reported Thursday that officials collected multiple baseballs during Bauer’s start against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Rosenthal reported the balls “had visible markings and were sticky, and were sent to the league offices for further inspection.”</p><p>Roberts said it feels as though there is a bit of a bias as far as Bauer is concerned:</p><blockquote>“My understanding is that umpires collect baseballs from all pitchers, and balls that were in play, to collect samples,” Roberts said. “I just hope that our player is not singled out,” Roberts said, via <a href="https://twitter.com/jorgecastillo/status/1380584245228302336">Jorge Castillo of the <i>Los Angeles Times</i></a>. “That’s the one thing I want to guard against.”</blockquote><p>MLB issued a memo last month saying it would be adopting a new policy to examine balls for drastically increased spin rates and potential use of foreign substances. The policy has drawn skepticism in part because of questions as to how MLB would establish the threshold or enforce potential punishments.</p><p>Rosenthal reported it was “unknown” whether balls collected from other pitchers have also raised concerns. Bauer initially declined to comment, but he certainly made his feelings known on Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lol always fun reading desperate and misleading clickbait headlines from national gossip bloggers. To translate fake journalist speak for y’all, “It’s unclear whether” = “I can’t be bothered to look into this cuz it doesn’t fit my narrative.” 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ wonder where the articles about</p><p>— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1380334631090745350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">balls from every other pitcher being taken out of play in literally every other game this season are? Also lol to <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLB</a> who already has “sources” talking to gossip bloggers about a supposedly confidential process a week into the season 😂😂😂 thumbs up y’all keep killin it! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻</p><p>— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1380334632453906432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Spin rates are all the rage for pitching in today’s game. Bauer himself captured the 2020 National League Cy Young Award after seeing a <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/trevor-bauer-545333?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb#pitch_tracking">large spike in spin rates. </a>His eye popping 2020 season helped him land with the Dodgers this past offseason.</p><p>Again, this is where the MLB could seemingly run into trouble if there is not more transparency with respect to the policy. Otherwise pitchers with large spin rates, like Bauer, could argue they are being singled out.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dave Roberts accuses MLB of singling out Trevor Bauer with investigation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MLB-odds-Nationals-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Nationals vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T08:52:47-07:00">April 9th, 8:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T08:52:47-07:00">April 9th, 8:52am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Nationals head out to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first of a three-game set. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Nationals-Dodgers prediction and pick. Washington will be playing in only their fourth game of the 2021 season. They lost their opening series against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers have defended their title nicely this far, winning both of their first two series. They are coming off of a tough extra-inning loss in the series finale against the Oakland Athletics, though.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Nationals-Dodgers odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Nationals-Dodgers Odds</b></h2><p>Washington Nationals +1.5 (+127)</p><p>Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-147)</p><p>Over 8.5 Runs (-125)</p><p>Under 8.5 Runs (+100)</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Washington Nationals have gotten off to a funky start in 2021 as their opening series against the New York Mets was postponed due to COVID concerns. Washington finally kicked off their season in a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves this week. They won their first game of the year on a walk-off single by Juan Soto, followed by two straight losses in a back-to-back doubleheader against Atlanta on Wednesday. Trea Turner has had a hot start to the year, hitting .273 with two home runs and four RBI. Starlin Castro and Ryan Zimmerman have been playing well themselves, each hitting over .300 on the young season. All three will have to be great in this series to compete with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/washington-nationals/roster">one of the best lineups</a> in baseball.</p><p>The Nationals will send out right-hander Joe Ross for his first start since the 2019 season. Ross is coming off of a disappointing 2019 campaign and only has 16.2 innings of experience against this Dodger team. He currently has a 7.02 career ERA against Los Angeles. Ross was eased back into action in Spring Training, seeing just 9.2 innings of work on the bump. He gave up three earned runs and looked confident in his limited action. Joe Ross showed us this spring that he is ready to attack hitters once again in 2021.</p><h2><b>Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the season opener against the Colorado Rockies but followed the loss up with four straight victories. They have taken their first two series against the Rockies and the Oakland Athletics to open the 2021 campaign. The Dodgers are coming off of a tough extra-inning loss against Oakland on Wednesday and will look to bounce back to open this series against Washington. Corey Seager has continued his dominance, hitting .423 through 26 at-bats this far. Eight other Dodgers are currently hitting over .300 and Cody Bellinger hasn’t even gotten his bat going yet. Will Smith currently leads LA with two home runs. Imagine what this team will start doing to clubs once they unlock the long ball.</p><p>The Dodgers will hand the ball to right-hander Walker Buehler for the second time in 2021. Buehler received a no-decision in his first start of the season against Colorado, allowing two runs over six innings and striking out four. Let’s take a look back at Walker’s dominant performance against the Nationals in the 2019 NLDS. In two starts, Buehler appeared in 12.2 innings and only allowed five hits and one run. He struck out a whopping 15 batters over that stretch. Current Washington hitters have 49 career at-bats against the Dodger right-hander. They’ve got just 10 hits and three walks overall.</p><h2><b>Final Nationals-Dodgers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/roster">the best team in baseball</a> and the easy pick to repeat as World Champions. The Washington Nationals are a respectable team but don’t belong in the same weight-class as the Dodgers. Los Angeles will win more times than not and when they do, it’s typically in dominant fashion. Buehler should have his way against the Nats lineup and the Dodgers should continue to feast on a rusty below-average arm in Joe Ross.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-147)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dodgers-Trevor-Bauer-MLB-.jpg"><figcaption>Bauer calls out writers and more</figcaption></figure><h1>Trevor Bauer responds to MLB investigation into his balls in predictable fashion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-09T07:46:29-07:00">April 9th, 7:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-09T07:46:29-07:00">April 9th, 7:46am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was placed onto the hot seat after the league reportedly looked into his baseballs for investigation. According to <a href="https://theathletic.com/2507091/2021/04/08/multiple-suspicious-baseballs-from-dodgers-trevor-bauer-sent-to-mlb-for-inspection/">Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic</a>, this came after his balls were removed from play during his previous start against the Oakland Athletics. The umpires were informed that the balls “had visible markings and were sticky.”</p><p>Of course, Bauer didn’t appreciate being targeted by the league, via <a href="https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2021/04/09/trevor-bauer-responds-to-report-about-his-baseballs-being-investigated-desperate-gossip-fake/">Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation</a>. The outspoken All-Star predictably called fake news after The Athletic’s report came out and went on a massive tirade on Twitter:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lol always fun reading desperate and misleading clickbait headlines from national gossip bloggers. To translate fake journalist speak for y’all, “It’s unclear whether” = “I can’t be bothered to look into this cuz it doesn’t fit my narrative.” 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ wonder where the articles about</p><p>— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1380334631090745350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">balls from every other pitcher being taken out of play in literally every other game this season are? Also lol to <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLB</a> who already has “sources” talking to gossip bloggers about a supposedly confidential process a week into the season 😂😂😂 thumbs up y’all keep killin it! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻</p><p>— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1380334632453906432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 9, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The league has been on the look out for illegal grip substances and are certainly taking these allegations seriously. If the league investigations confirm that the 30-year old had balls that were indeed smothered with these grip-enhancing substances, Bauer will certainly pay for his wrongdoings.</p><p>Bauer has been largely outspoken and discussed much more on a national stage in recent seasons even before joining the Dodgers. His outside-the-box thinking and antics rub some baseball purists the wrong way as Bauer certainly brings a different flavor to the game.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reds-news-trevor-bauer-breaks-out-formal-wear-winning-nl-cy-young-award/">Bauer won the National League Cy Young Award</a> for posting insane spin rate numbers in his wildly successful 2020 season. It drew some suspicion at the time from some, and perhaps this latest development explains his sudden rise into becoming one of the elite pitchers in the league. Bauer clearly thinks otherwise and for now, it’s a battle of finger pointing from both directions at one another until the league comes out with its rulings and findings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trevor Bauer responds to MLB investigation into his balls in predictable fashion

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/3-perfect-options-for-Raiders-at-No.jpg"></figure><h1>3 perfect options for Raiders at No. 17 in 2021 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T17:55:08-07:00">April 13th, 5:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T17:59:36-07:00">April 13th, 5:59pm</time><address><a>Mike Johrendt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Holding eight selections in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have quite a few holes on their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/roster" rel="noopener">roster</a> that they need to fill. Needing to address their offensive line and defensive secondary the most, general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden will have their hands full.</p><p>This was a strange offseason for the Raiders, as they set out to disassemble their starting OL, having sent tackle Gabe Jackson to the Seattle Seahawks, center Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals, and tackle Trent Brown to the New England Patriots. With this going from one of their strongest to one of their weakest roster areas, the front office will likely look to address it early and often over the seven rounds.</p><p>With that and other needs in mind, here are three perfect options for the Raiders in the first round, sitting at 17th overall.</p><h2><b>Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jaycee Horn at South Carolina's Pro Day:</p><p>🔥 4.37s 40<br>🔥 41.5” vertical<br>🔥 11’1” broad jump</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/GamecockFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@GamecockFB</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9DdPbolGzH" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/9DdPbolGzH</a></p><p>— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1374845740665700359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen looking like two of the better cornerback options that are on the Raiders roster, they desperately need a solid CB option–which is what makes <a href="https://www.profootballnetwork.com/jaycee-horn-nfl-draft-player-profile-south-carolina-cornerback/" rel="noopener">South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn</a> such an important addition if he is still on the board at 17.</p><p>The 6-foot-1 junior was a mainstay for the Gamecock defense, manning the boundary and helping shut down opposing wide receivers with his physicality and ball skills. While his physicality may translate into being a little flag-happy early in his career, Horn profiles right alongside the likes of both Patrick Surtain II and Caleb Farley for the cream of the CB crop.</p><p>The Raiders would be absolutely enamored if Horn is still on the board when they pick, especially with some teams cooling on Farley due to his littered injury history. With the kind of production, projections, and tape that Horn has, he certainly would go a long way to helping give this Raiders defense its identity back.</p><h2><b>Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The 2020 Butkus Award winner and ACC Defensive Player of the year. 💪</p><p>Here's what <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@NDFootball</a> LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah can offer at the next level. <a href="https://twitter.com/j_owuu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@j_owuu</a> (via <a href="https://twitter.com/chad_reuter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@chad_reuter</a>)</p><p>📺: 2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NFLDraft</a> — April 29 – May 1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC <a href="https://t.co/Q6d0Ifdtg1" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Q6d0Ifdtg1</a></p><p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1381260755438161920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Another uber-athlete that somewhat fits the mold of what Isaiah Simmons from Clemson was in last year’s draft, <a href="https://www.profootballnetwork.com/jeremiah-owusu-koramoah-nfl-draft-player-profile-notre-dame-linebacker/" rel="noopener">Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah</a> is a multi-positional defensive gem, someone that is the prototype of a linebacker but has the coverage abilities of a safety.</p><p>Having taken home the Dick Butkus Award for being the nation’s best linebacker, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, and AP All-ACC First Team honors, Owusu-Koramoah is a household name for many reasons, and coming out of a high-character program like Notre Dame is just perfect for what Gruden loves in a player. Seen almost unanimously as the first LB off the board in April, Owusu-Koramoah’s impact on the LV defense would be felt from day one.</p><p>An underrated aspect of bringing him on would be his ability to help on the back-end as well in coverage instances, which would then help push the need to draft a top-flight CB a little farther down the list and let the front office tackle other areas of need.</p><h2><b>Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He looks like a future, long-time starting NFL tackle."</p><p>The scouting report on <a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@HokiesFB</a> OT Christian Darrisaw. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/chad_reuter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@chad_reuter</a>)</p><p>📺: 2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NFLDraft</a> — April 29 – May 1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC <a href="https://t.co/PrLBL47JJf" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/PrLBL47JJf</a></p><p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1380686971740168195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The lone offensive player on this list is a big-time one, even if <a href="https://www.profootballnetwork.com/christian-darrisaw-nfl-draft-player-profile-virginia-tech-tackle/" rel="noopener">Christian Darrisaw</a> is not a position player. But filling a big-time area of need (offensive tackle) with arguably a member of the Top 3 at that position would be a home run for Gruden and Mayock to make.</p><p>Darrisaw is a 6-foot-5 road grader that loves to get dirty and has an especially strong rapport for his abilities in the run game. While some shortcomings about how he can handle incoming blitzing schemes could create a bit of pause when looking at the OT prospects, Darrisaw is a polished product that would be a solid fit for the Raiders and their two-headed rushing attack.</p><p>Putting Darrisaw on the right side of the line, opposite recently-extended left tackle Kolton Miller, would do a lot to helping both Josh Jacobs and free-agent signee Kenyan Drake get open lanes and into the second level of the defense. Plus, with Darrisaw more than able to hold his own in pass protection, Carr’s protection would be solidified, helping him connect with tight end Darren Waller and second-year wideout Henry Ruggs III.</p><p>The Raiders can easily get themselves back into the AFC West divisional hunt with a strong draft, something that can happen only if they start strong and make the right moves to fill their needs. If the board falls right and they are able to select one of these three players mentioned, both Gruden and Mayock would be doing a lot to helping make football exciting in Las Vegas once again.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 perfect options for Raiders at No. 17 in 2021 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fred-VanVleet.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ Fred VanVleet’s injury status gets ‘bad news’ from Nick Nurse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T17:07:13-07:00">April 13th, 5:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T17:07:13-07:00">April 13th, 5:07pm</time><address><a>Nicole Ganglani</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/toronto-raptors">Toronto Raptors</a> or should I say Tampa Bay (at least for this season) Raptors cannot catch a break. It’s been an underwhelming season so far for the 2019 champions and it even got a little more disappointing on Tuesday. Head coach Nick Nurse mentioned that he has no timetable for the return of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Harris. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nick Nurse says he doesn't really have an idea when FVV and Jalen Harris might be back.</p><p>"I don't think it's good news."</p><p>— Steven Loung (@loung_s) <a href="https://twitter.com/loung_s/status/1382087818957180934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This is certainly a huge blow for the Raptors who have struggled all season. They went from being one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference to a bottom-seeded team in a year. The loss of Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka in the past two years has drastically affected their squad. It also didn’t help that they weren’t able to get assets for Kyle Lowry last trade deadline. Lowry is set to become a free agent after this season. </p><p>Aside from the rise of Garry Trent Jr., there hasn’t been much to look forward to with the Raptors. VanVleet has been out for weeks due to a strained left hip flexor while Harris continues to deal with a hip injury. Lowry has also been nursing a foot injury throughout the past few weeks. Tough times for the Raptors indeed. </p><p>With all these injuries, expect Trent, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam to lead the Raptors in their coming games. They’ve lost seven out of their last 10 games and remain 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. Their next few games will be against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ Fred VanVleet’s injury status gets ‘bad news’ from Nick Nurse

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nets-Kevin-Durant-Shannon-Sharpe.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets star Kevin Durant, Shannon Sharpe get into Twitter spat over ‘fake quotes’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T10:01:29-07:00">April 13th, 10:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T10:03:11-07:00">April 13th, 10:03am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is at with the talking heads once again. Only this time, he will not be made to be the “sensitive” type.</p><p>Durant and UNDISPUTED co-star Shannon Sharpe got into a back-and-forth on Twitter on Tuesday after Durant inquired as<a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1381795070089773059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1381795070089773059%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1091290action%3Dedit"> to why Sharpe was pushing “fake quotes” about him</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Y’all drunk uncle out here lying again. When did I say this <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonSharpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ShannonSharpe</a> ??????????????????????????? <a href="https://t.co/698XHOxcYn" target="_blank">https://t.co/698XHOxcYn</a></p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1381795070089773059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ole Shannon refuses to respond to me. Yo Shannon why are u using your platform to push fake quotes about me???</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1381990313158381569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Sharpe responded by saying he was perfectly willing to talk, but would not do so on social media. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets/roster">The Nets star</a> fired back the ridiculousness of Sharpe having a national platform and saying things on Twitter but refusing to have a discussion on a public thread.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We can talk in front of everybody, it ain’t that serious Shannon, u go on tv in front of everybody pushing fake shit but now u wanna talk in private??? Why u lying on tv Shannon???</p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1381998962375266308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>So, how did it all end? Well, Sharpe clearly had no interest in discussing things with Durant.</p><p>The former league MVP shared a screenshot of his being blocked by the Hall of Fame tight end, again prodding at the notion he was the sensitive figure online.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">But I’m sensitive <a href="https://t.co/ui2pSX6tCi" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ui2pSX6tCi</a></p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1382000482764357634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Durant seems to have a point, even if Sharpe might have blocked him so as to avoid being peppered especially in light of the KD-Michael Rapaport saga.</p><p>It isn’t really fair to attribute strange quotes to Durant when the Nets veteran has pretty consistently suggested he just wants to focus on basketball. Sure, Durant can be called out for burner accounts and old tweets, but misattribution is something else. That’s especially true when Sharpe says KD feels he has the greatest basketball legacy in league history.</p><p>Durant likely does feel he is one of the greatest players ever, which he is. But he probably has too much respect to openly place himself above LeBron James or some of the other legends in the sport’s history.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets star Kevin Durant, Shannon Sharpe get into Twitter spat over ‘fake quotes’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Ben-Simmons_-honest-thoughts-on-Kawhi-Leonard_s-iconic-playoff-shot-vs.-Philly.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons’ honest thoughts on Kawhi Leonard’s iconic playoff shot vs. Sixers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T15:21:24-07:00">April 13th, 3:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T15:21:24-07:00">April 13th, 3:21pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons can still remember the 2019 playoffs like it was yesterday. After all, the Sixers were just one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be denied by Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.</p><p>Speaking with <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATheJump/status/1381750184951095296" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols on The Jump</a>, Simmons recalled the heartbreaking moment and admitted that it taught him how difficult it is to win in the NBA, particularly in the playoffs.</p><blockquote>“That one shot with Kawhi against the Raptors, that was tough. But that was an experience where it made me think, ‘It’s not easy to win,’ especially when it comes to playoffs,” the Sixers star reflected.</blockquote><p>To recall, in Game 7 of the East Semifinals between the Raptors and Sixers, Kawhi Leonard drained the buzzer-beating game-winner. With  just four seconds remaining and the game tied at 90-all, Leonard drove to the right wing and pulled up for the jumper–only to see the ball bounce around the rim before falling at the buzzer.</p><p>Here’s another look at the <a href="https://youtu.be/tVpWuCyZndA" rel="noopener">iconic play</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The Raptors carried the momentum, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the East Finals before taking down the mighty Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons and the Sixers went home to Philly with broken hearts.</p><p>Two years later though, it looks like the Sixers have grown from that experience and have become a better team this 2020-21 campaign. Philly is currently the top seed in the East with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/standings/" rel="noopener">37-17 record</a>–with Simmons running for Defensive Player of the Year and Joel Embiid being considered for the MVP award.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons’ honest thoughts on Kawhi Leonard’s iconic playoff shot vs. Sixers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Bears-1.jpg"></figure><h1>3 perfect options for Bears at No. 20 in 2021 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-13T20:19:16-07:00">April 13th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-13T20:19:16-07:00">April 13th, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Theo Ash</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/chicago-bears">Chicago Bears</a> are coming off a trip to the playoffs, but it doesn’t feel like it. The Bears have become the big losers of the offseason after being interested in Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford but coming away with <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaltAn00.htm">Andy Dalton</a>. They were fortunate to sneak into the playoffs in 2020, and the front office and coaching staff are on thin ice. </p><p>They need to recapture what they had in 2018, and to do that, they’re going to have to crush the draft. Here are three first-round targets that could help turn the Bears from pretenders to contenders. </p><h2>Alijah Vera-Tucker</h2><p>With Andy Dalton leading the passing attack, the Bears can pretty much throw away all hope of having an elite passing offense. The only time that Dalton was at the helm of an above-average offense was 2015. If the Bears want to have a good offense, the running game will have to be stellar. To do that, they’ll have to invest in the offensive line. Alijah Vera-Tucker is a versatile lineman that played 2019 at left guard and 2020 at left tackle. </p><p>He earned all-conference honors in both seasons. The Bears’ right guard projected to be Alex Bars, an undrafted free agent that Chicago signed in 2019. He’s outperformed expectations, but he’s far from a solid starter at the position. The Bears offensive line got off to a poor start in 2020 but pulled it together towards the end. If they can build on their end-of-season success and add Vera-Tucker, it figures to be an above-average unit that can take the pressure off Andy Dalton. </p><h2>Caleb Farley </h2><p>The Bears have a reputation for defensive excellence, but if you look at the roster, it’s easy to find holes on that side of the ball. Who is rushing the passer opposite of Khalil Mack? Robert Quinn was a massive disappointment after signing a big contract before last year. Who will take the place of Kyle Fuller? Who is the safety opposite of Eddie Jackson? If Akiem Hicks gets traded, who will the defensive tackles be? It’s a very top-heavy defense and it’s far from rock solid. </p><p>The Chicago front office is on thin ice. They need a home run season to keep their jobs. If Caleb Farley is sitting there at 20, they may swing for the fences. Farley is a high-risk, high reward pick. He looked fantastic in his short college career, but a recent back surgery has his stock in limbo. Back problems can ruin careers, but it’s a chance the Bears may be willing to take, though.<br></p><h2>Kellen Mond</h2><p>Okay, so this pick isn’t exactly perfect at 20. But the Bears might not have a choice. Many were expecting Pace and Nagy to get fired at the end of the 2020 season. Yes, the team made the playoffs as a 7th seed, but at no point was anyone ever scared of this Bears team, and with Andy Dalton is the starter, no one will be scared of them this year, either. </p><p>The Bears were all-in on trying to trade for Russell Wilson, but the Seahawks wouldn’t bite. They know they need a difference-maker at quarterback, but none of the top rookies will be available with where they are in the draft. The chances Mond becomes a difference-maker are small, but the possibility still exists. I don’t think you can say that for Andy Dalton.</p><p> Mond has stiff mechanics, and his accuracy is very suspect, but he has a lot of arm talent and is mobile. He fits the mold of the young QBs that have found success recently. Mond was also a four-year starter in college. That experience will help him, and he could look better to start his career than perhaps someone like Lance or Mac Jones will, which could give the decision-makers some short-term job security. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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