Israel Adesanya Unsuccessful In His Bid For "Double Champ" Status

Though he is no longer undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist, Israel Adesanya (20-1) has nothing to be ashamed of, suffering a unanimous decision loss to the much bigger opponent, light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Still, the UFC's middleweight champion, Adesanya landed 78 significant strikes (99 total strikes) along with only stuffing two of […]

J.P. Crawford Looking For More Power in 2021

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford showed off a vastly improvement glove in 2020, but this year he's looking to shore up his power game as well. Last year, Crawford's strikeout rate dropped to 16.8 percent, six percent lower than the previous year, but the contact he made didn't often go for extra bases. In fact, […]

Jan Blachowicz Turns In A Career Performance To Retain Title

Doing what many thought he would not be able to do, "Polish Power" Jan Blachowicz (28-8) defeated the previously undefeated and current UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. In a battle for the light heavyweight title, Blachowicz proved to be a step too far and too big for the smaller Adesanya. Statistically, Blachowicz scored mightily, earning […]

Joey Daccord Makes Second Start Of The Season

Ottawa Senators goaltender Joey Daccord will make his second start of the year in Monday's matchup against the Oilers. The 24-year-old produced a 3-1 loss to Montreal in his first start. He has also registered a couple of relief appearances to post a 2.51 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. It would be a […]

Megan Anderson Unable To Capitalize In Co-Main Event Spot

Unable to capitalize on the title shot opportunity, Megan Anderson (11-5) was only able to last 2:03 into the first round with arguably the greatest women's MMA fighter of all-time, Amanda Nunes, losing by submission. It was extremely rough statistically for Nunes as well, only landing two significant strikes in the two-plus minutes of action. […]

Jake Fraley No Longer The Favorite To Start In Left Field

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley entered camp as the favorite to be the starting left fielder on opening day, but the opportunity may be slipping away from him. First it was the phenom Jarred Kelenic who seemed likely to overtake Fraley, but since Kelenic went down with an injury, Taylor Trammell has now emerged as […]

Amanda Nunes Does It Again And Secures A Big First-Round Victory

Continuing her dominant reign over MMA, Amanda Nunes (21-4) secured a solid victory in her second featherweight title defense. In just 2:03 of the very first round, Nunes locked in an inverted armbar-triangle on the much taller Megan Anderson. Nunes will continue to sit as the highest or second-highest salaried fighter on DraftKings every time […]

Mikko Koskinen Starts On Monday Night

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen will be between the pipes for Monday's visit of the Ottawa Senators. Koskinen was heavily used at the start of the season, but Mike Smith has earned the majority of starts since last month. The 32-year-old picked up three wins and two losses in February so it was a decent […]

Petr Yan Drops Title In Very Bizarre Situation

Petr Yan (15-2) suffered his first loss in the UFC and lost his bantamweight championship in one of the most bizarre championship fight endings in the sport's history. In the fourth round, Yan struck Sterling with an illegal knee. Though he was up on the majority of scorecards, the referee ruled the shot intentional, and […]

James Paxton To Throw Another Simulated Game

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton will throw another simulated game Tuesday. Paxton has yet to pitch in a Cactus League matchup thus far, but the Mariners insist he is healthy, and the lack of regular action is just a matter of scheduling and logistics. Mariners fans and fantasy managers are surely eager to see […]

Aljamain Sterling Wins Championship In Bizarre Manner

In one of the wildest finishes in UFC championship history, Aljamain Sterling (20-3) walked out of the Octagon as the new UFC bantamweight champion, but not in the way he probably envisioned. Down on two of the three judges' scorecards in the fourth round, Sterling took an illegal knee to the head from Petr Yan. […]

Ville Husso Aims For Fifth Straight Victory

St. Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso has a chance to extend his winning streak to five games in Monday's meeting with San Jose. He had a very tough time at the start of the year but has managed to completely turn it around, and owns a nice 5-2-0 record with a 3.55 goals-against average and […]

Yohan Ramirez Arrives In Camp

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Yohan Ramirez has reported to camp after being out due to COVID-19 protocols. Ramirez is expected to be on the big league club when the season begins, having putting up a 164 ERA+ and a 27.7 percent strikeout rate in a strong 2020 season. He should make his first game appearance […]

Devan Dubnyk Earns Eighth Start Of the Season

San Jose Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk will make his eighth start of the season in Monday's home game against St. Louis. The veteran netminder is looking for only his second win of the season, after struggling so far with a 3.49 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. The Sharks have been shut out twice […]

Caleb Smith Throws Three Hitless Innings Against Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Caleb Smith threw three scoreless innings on Monday, allowing just one walk while striking out three against the Giants. It was a marked improvement from his first start of the spring in which he was rocked for six runs over two innings against the Padres, as Smith looks to bounce back […]

Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo Both Out Of Monday's Contest

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo won't play on Monday against Minnesota. Both picked up injuries in Saturday's 4-0 win over San Jose, and whilst the team hoped to have them available, that isn't the case. Stone had a five-point outing against the Wild last week and he already has […]

Kaapo Kahkonen Tries To Slow Down Vegas

Minnesota Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen will make his 13th start of the season in Monday's clash with the Vegas Golden Knights, who have racked up six straight victories. The Wild goalie is on a six-game winning streak of his own as well, so something's got to give here. Kahkonen has looked very strong with his […]

Joe Kelly Not A Lock To Be Healthy By Opening Day

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Joe Kelly (shoulder) remains engaged in a throwing program, but he is reportedly not close to returning to game action, which shrouds his availability for Opening Day in doubt. Kelly battled right shoulder inflammation (which landed him on the IL) last year, although he finished the year with just three […]

Drew Dober Faces Tough Task and Loses In Third Round

With a tough day at the office, Drew Dober (23-10) was submitted in the third round via arm-triangle choke. In over 13 minutes of total action, Dober was only able to land 10 significant strikes (14 total strikes) and was taken down three out of the four times. Dober had his three-fight winning streak snapped, […]

Kyle Freeland Looks Good In Spring Debut

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland had a solid outing on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds in Cactus League play. The southpaw allowed no runs on two hits with a walk and two punch-outs over three innings of work. The 27-year-old lefty has come crashing back down to earth since his breakout 2018 campaign when […]

Islam Makhachev Continues To Dominate With Submission Win

Continuing his dominance in the UFC, Islam Makhachev (19-1) used his superior ground game to earn the third-round submission over Drew Dober. Statistically, Makhachev landed 15 significant strikes (102 total strikes) in 13:23 of action. He also landed three of his four takedown attempts and owned 9:26 of control time. Earning his seventh win in […]

Chicago Aims For Jake Marisnick To Return Within Week

Chicago Cubs outfielder Jake Marisnick (calf) is expected to make his Cactus League debut between March 13-15, as he has dealt with a calf setback to this point. Marisnick saw extremely limited time with the Mets last season, but he impressed in the at-bats that he was given, collecting a 159 OPS+ across 16 games. […]

Thiago Santos Loses His Third Bout In A Row

Now on the worst losing skid of his career, Thiago Santos (21-9) lost his third bout in a row, this time by unanimous decision to Aleksandar Rakic. Statistically, the numbers were close, with Santos landing 49 significant strikes (61 total strikes), both numbers higher than Rakic's. Santos mostly worked the body, landing 23 of his […]

Aleksandar Rakic Earns Victory To Open Up UFC 259 Main Card

Aleksandar Rakic (14-2) earned his second win in a row by defeating fellow top-ranked light heavyweight Thiago Santos via a unanimous decision. Statistically, the numbers were pretty close, with Rakic earning 36 significant strikes (50 total strikes) while missing both of his takedown attempts in 15 minutes of action. Before the bout, Rakic entered ranked […]

Jon Lester Returns To Spring Camp, Faces No Setback

Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher Jon Lester (thyroid) returned to Spring Training on Monday, following surgery that was performed on his thyroid gland last week. Having already been cranked up to a 50-pitch allotment, it doesn't appear as if the southpaw has been sidetracked by the absence, which does not figure to impact him long-term. After […]

Elias Diaz Picks Up A Pair Of Hits On Monday

Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles in Monday's Cactus League game vs the Cincinnati Reds. Diaz is now 4-for-10 this Spring with a pair of doubles and one RBI. It's a small sample size but a .400/.400/.600 batting line is a solid clip for the 30-year-old backstop. He's not […]

Dinelson Lamet Ramps Up To 98 MPH In Sim Game

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet (elbow) tossed another sim game Sunday, this time displaying his slider against opposing batters. After receiving a PRP injection that ended his 2020 campaign, there was some concern that the pitch may have to be dialed back some heading into '21, especially if the righty was to avoid […]

Myles Straw Emerges As Astros Likely Leadoff Hitter

Houston Astros outfielder Myles Straw has stuck out as manager Dusty Baker's likeliest choice to hit in the No. 1 slot in the lineup come Opening Day. Straw is taking over on a full-time basis for George Springer, who signed with the Blue Jays during the off-season. Straw's speed is a rare commodity in 2021, […]

Mike Soroka Tosses Two Scoreless During Sim Game

Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka (Achilles) worked two innings during a simulated game Sunday, not allowing a run in his first ramp up toward game action. Working his way back from a torn right Achilles tendon, Soroka's availability for Opening Day remains unclear. Despite looking solid in three appearances during 2020, fantasy managers can […]

Domingo Tapia Out With Strained Oblique

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Domingo Tapia (oblique) has been shut down. Tapia, claimed off of waivers during the offseason from the Boston Red Sox, was expected to battle for a bullpen role this spring. Tapia made his major league debut in 2020, pitching four and a third innings of one run ball, while striking out […]