JVSportsTalk Recap: 8/11/22

Smyly, Cubs Take Field of Dreams Game; Marlins Snap Phillies' Streak

• The Chicago Cubs took the second annual Field of Dreams Game in Iowa on Thursday night, doubling up their NL Central Division rival Cincinnati Reds, 4-2.
• Drew Smyly starred on the mound, striking out nine batters over five shutout innings for his fifth win.
• The Cubs compiled 10 hits in front of the cornstalks, becoming the second straight Chicago team to get a win there.
• The White Sox walked off against the Yankees on Tim Anderson's home run last season.
• Nick Madrigal had three hits and two steals, while Ian Happ had a key RBI double.
• The Cubs got off to a fast start in front of a sellout crowd of 7,823 fans.
• Smyly is now 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA over his past four starts, and Roman Wick came on to get his seventh save.
• The Miami Marlins put an end to the Philadelphia Phillies' win streak at seven games with a 3-0 shutout on the road Thursday afternoon.
  
• The Phillies did lose slugger Kyle Schwarber to a calf injury, which has bothered him over the past few weeks. 
  
• Schwarber, who leads the National League with 34 home runs, could miss this weekend's series against the New York Mets.
  
• The injury was to his right calf, as he was pulled after he walked with two outs in the fifth inning.
  
• The Phillies finished their homestand at 6-1, as well as 12-2 overall in their past 14 games, hanging on to the second Wild Card spot. '
  
• Edward Cabrera pitched in to the sixth inning, as the Phillies were shut out at home for the first time since May 19th.
  

Other key scores saw Oscar Gonzalez get the go-ahead RBI in extras to lift the Cleveland Guardians past the Detroit Tigers, 4-3. Zack Greinke pitched in to the seventh inning in the Kansas City Royals' 5-3 home win against the Chicago White Sox. Eric Hosmer had the go-ahead RBI double to send the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3. The Colorado Rockies used a six-run seventh inning to rally past the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-6.  And Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings as the Houston Astros topped the Texas Rangers, 7-3.

Braves Place Max Fried on Concussion IL

• The Atlanta Braves made a move to their starting rotation, placing pitcher Max Fried on the seven-day concussion injured list on Thursday.
• The news comes days after he hit his head on the ground while throwing the ball during a play at Citi Field against the New York Mets.
  
• Fried remained in the game after the incident in the third inning, and allowed four runs on six hits over six innings.
  
• He took the loss on that night thanks to the marvelous effort of Max Scherzer for the Mets.
  
• Fried has a 2.60 ERA and a 10-4 record at the top of the Braves' rotation.
  
• The Braves did recall pitcher Jay Jackson from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
  

Giants Beat Pats on Late FG in Preseason Opener

• The New York Giants got their starting core some action in their preseason opener on Thursday, which led to a thrilling win over the New England Patriots. 
• Graham Gano hit the game-winning 24-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-21 road win.
• The late kick gave Giants coach Brian Daboll his first win as a head coach.
• Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 6-of-10 passes for 69 yards on the night.
• Saquon Barkley also got action with four carries for 13 yards, as well as one catch for 13 yards.
• Antonio Williams ran for a touchdown, while Gano finished with three field goals.
• Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe both threw a touchdown pass for the Patriots, as Mac Jones and the starters took the night off.

The only other preseason game saw the Baltimore Ravens top the Tennessee Titans, 23-10 without their starters for their 21st straight preseason win.

Patriots' James White Retires From The NFL

• New England Patriots running back James White announced that he is retiring from the National Football League on Thursday. 
• The three-time Super Bowl champion makes this decision after eight NFL seasons.
• White re-signed with the Patriots on a two-year deal this off-season, but is currently on the physically unable to perform list.
• He suffered a hip injury last September, which required surgery and ended his season, and he is still recovering.
• The tailback released a statement on his Instagram account to reveal the news.
  
• The 30-year-old spent his entire career with the Patriots, who drafted him in the fourth round out of Wisconsin in 2014.
  
• White holds three Super Bowl records from Super Bowl LI with 14 receptions, 20 points scored, and three touchdowns.
  
• The four-time team captain set career highs and franchised records by a running back for 87 catches for 751 yards in 2018.
  
• Over his career, he compiled 381 catches for 3,278 yards and 25 touchdowns in the regular season, along with 59 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs.
  

Jets Agree to Deal With Duane Brown

• The New York Jets are dealing with the tough loss of right tackle Mekhi Becton, so to help with that, they agreed to a two-year deal with offensive tackle Duane Brown.
• The five-time Pro Bowler visited with the Jets this past weekend at their Green & White scrimmage at MetLife Stadium.
  
• According to Jets head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets were targeting Brown as a "bonus" before the Becton injury.
  
• The 36-year-old has 203 career starts, all of which have been at left tackle.
  
• He spent the past two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and did not miss a game.
  
• That led to him making the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement at the end of the year.
  
• The big man finished 26th among offensive tackles in pass block win rate.
  
• Brown was arrested last month at a Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly carrying a concealed weapon.
  

Bears' N'Keal Harry Out Indefinitely Following Surgery

• The Chicago Bears got official word on the injury to wide receiver N'Keal Harry, as the young star has been ruled out indefinitely following ankle surgery.
• The wideout had a procedure done to his left ankle, but the official timetable for his return is unknown.
  
• The injury occurred in the first place of team drills last Saturday, as his ankle got wrapped up with linebacker Nicholas Morrow.
  
• The former first-round draft pick in 2019 by the New England Patriots is entering his first season with the Bears.
  
• He joins the likes of Bryon Pringle and Velus Jones Jr. on the injury list for their wide receivers.
  
• They were without 21 players at practice for a second straight day and will open the preseason on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
  

NBA to Retire Bill Russell's No. 6 Around Entire League

• The number 6 will never be worn around the NBA ever again after the league officially retired the jersey number on Friday in honor of the late great Bill Russell.
• Russell becomes the first player in NBA history to have his jersey retired for the entire league.
  
• This news comes 11 days after the legend passed away.
  
• The likes of LeBron James, Alex Caruso, Kristaps Porzingis, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams wore that number last season.
  
• This rule will go in to effect for the 2022-2023 season.
  

Michigan State Gives Tom Izzo Five-Year Deal

• To the surprise of no one, the Michigan State basketball program has no intentions of moving on from head coach Tom Izzo, showing that on Thursday with a new five-year contract.
• The deal is worth $31 million, as it will pay him $6.2 million per season.
  
• This gives the legendary coach about a $2 million raise per year.
  
• Izzo was inducted in to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, won a National Championship in 2000, and has reached eight Final Fours with the Spartans.
  
• The 67-year-old led Michigan State to a 24th straight NCAA Tournament berth last season, while also compiling 10 Big Ten regular season titles.
• His teams went on to win six conference tournaments, as he has skyrocketed the program even more after taking over for Jud Heathcote in the 1995-1996 season.
  

Golden Knights' Robin Lehner to Miss 2022-2023 Season

• The Las Vegas Golden Knights will be shorthanded between the pipes next season, as goaltender Robin Lehner will miss the entire 2022-2023 campaign following hip surgery.
• Lehner's official recovery timeline is still to be determined, and it is unclear when the surgery will take place.
  
• The 31-year-old took over as the Golden Knights' starting goalie after they traded Marc Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2021.
  
• The Knighst gave Lehner a five-year contract extension after acquiring him from the Blackhawks in 2020.
  
• Over 44 games last season, he had a 23-17-2 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against-average.
  
• With Lehner down, the likes of Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson will step up next year.