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ChiSox’s Anderson suspended for flipping off fanon April 23, 2022 at 1:51 am

MINNEAPOLIS — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday for giving fans the middle finger during a game Wednesday in Cleveland.

Anderson is appealing the ban and will play until the matter is settled. He remained in the lineup hitting leadoff Friday night at Minnesota.

Anderson had three errors in the first two innings of Chicago’s 11-1 loss Wednesday in the opener of a doubleheader. The frustrated 28-year-old made the gesture toward a fan while out in the field.

“I have to apologize for my actions,” Anderson said Friday. “There are a lot of people who really look up to me. I take full accountability of what I did. But it’s something that I have to learn from and grow from.”

It’s the second time MLB has suspended Anderson this season. He served a two-game ban on opening weekend for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the ninth inning of a game on Sept. 27. Anderson successfully appealed that suspension down from three games.

Anderson is batting .300 with five RBIs and a home run. He made his first All-Star team in 2021 and finished the season with a .309 average, 17 home runs and 61 RBIs to help lead the White Sox to an AL Central title.

Anderson made his sixth error in three games Friday night as the White Sox lost 2-1. He committed just 10 errors all of last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Without a top draft pick, the Bears can avoid the Round 2 blues

One day after Bears quarterback Justin Fields praised Ohio State receiver Chris Olave, his former college teammate and a likely first-round pick in next week’s draft, Bears receiver Darnell Mooney jokingly disapproved.

“It’s going to be hard for us to get him if he keeps hyping him up,” Mooney said Wednesday. “Everyone else is going to be talking about him.”

They already are. That’s the bad news for the Bears, who don’t have a first-round pick Thursday. The good news: Because they’re looking to draft a receiver, it might not matter. The contracts of current NFL star receivers are getting bigger, which figures to push their college contemporaries up the draft board this year. But recent history shows that great receivers — the best ones, in fact — are found on Day 2 of the draft, not Day 1.

Of the 15 receivers with the most yards since 2019, only five were picked in Round 1. Three — Davante Adams, DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown — were drafted in the second round. Five, including the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, the Super Bowl MVP in February, were third-round picks.

“The evidence is out there for all the hits in the second and third and even beyond,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.

The Bears have three picks on Day 2 — Nos. 39 and 48 overall in the second round and No. 71 in the third. They’re one of eight teams without a scheduled first-round pick, but that’s not a death sentence. Here’s a look at the Bears’ three biggest needs and how they can find valuable players:

Wide receiver

They’ll be gone before the Bears pick: Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, Alabama’s Jameson Williams, USC’s Drake London, Ohio State’s Chris Olave, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson.

They’ll likely be available in Round 2: Georgia’s George Pickens, Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, Alabama’s John Metchie III and South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert.

We’re intrigued by: Pickens and Metchie. Mooney identified Pickens, who missed the first 11 games of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, as someone he has noticed on film. Metchie tore his ACL during last season’s Southeastern Conference title game. Because of their injuries, both players will come at a discount, relative to their pedigree and skill level.

Jeremiah said Pickens needs to be more consistent. He had higher praise for Metchie.

“If you were saying, ‘OK, who’s the closest thing to Jarvis Landry?’ I think John Metchie would probably be that guy,” he said.

The Bears can take inspiration from: The 2019 draft class, in which Deebo Samuel, Brown and Metcalf were selected 36th, 51st and 64th, respectively.

The last time: In the last 10 years, the Bears have drafted two receivers in the second round: Alshon Jeffery, who was a Pro Bowl player, and Anthony Miller, who was not.

Offensive tackle

They’ll be gone before the Bears pick: Alabama’s Evan Neal, N.C. State’s Ikem Ekwonu, Mississippi State’s Charles Cross and Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning.

They’ll likely be available in Round 2: Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann, Tulsa’s Tyler Smith, Minnesota’s Donald Faalele, Washington State’s Abraham Lucas and Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere.

We’re intrigued by: Two tackles with unusual backgrounds. Raimann was born in Austria, played one season of high school football and switched from tight end as a junior at Central Michigan.

Faalele is from Melbourne, Australia, and played one season of high school ball. At 6-8, 384 pounds, he’s big enough to be a comic book villain.The Bears’ focus on mobile, athletic linemen probably precludes him from being on their wish list. Smith, who turned 21 this month, is a better fit.

The Bears can take inspiration from: The fact it can’t get worse. They drafted Teven Jenkins at No. 39 last year — the same spot where they’ll draft Friday. He had back surgery, played 14% of the snaps and didn’t cement himself at either tackle spot.

The last time: Before drafting Jenkins and Larry Borom in 2021, Ryan Pace had selected only two tackles as Bears general manager. Tayo Fabuluje and Arlington Hambright combined for just 84 career offensive snaps.

Cornerback

They’ll be gone before the Bears pick: Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner, Washington’s Trent McDuffie and LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr.

They’ll likely be available in Round 2:Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr., Washington’s Kyler Gordon, Florida’s Kaiir Elam, Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt and Auburn’s Roger McCreary.

We’re intrigued by: Unsure. Bears coach Matt Eberflus gave a tepid endorsement of the cornerback unit during rookie minicamp, but the Bears need to find a starter opposite Jaylon Johnson. Booth didn’t do combine drills because of a quadriceps injury and later had sports hernia surgery, which could drop him to the second round. Clemson’s zone tendencies fit well with the cover-2 scheme that Eberflus runs.

The Bears can take inspiration from: The Cowboys drafting cornerback Trevon Diggs at No. 51 two years ago. He led the NFL with 11 interceptions last year, earning first-team All-Pro honors.

The last time: One of the Bears’ best recent hits came when they chose a cornerback in Round 2. Johnson went 50th in 2020.

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Man critically injured in officer-involved shooting, teen among 6 others wounded by gunfire Friday in Chicago

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A man was critically wounded by Chicago police officers in a shooting Friday in Pullman on the Far South Side.

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Man critically injured in officer-involved shooting, teen among 6 others wounded by gunfire Friday in Chicago

A man was hurt during a police-involved shooting Friday night in Pullman.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

A man was critically injured in a shooting involving Chicago police officers and a 15-year-old boy was among at least six others wounded by gunfire Friday in Chicago.

About 5:40 p.m., police officers were responding to a call of a man with a gun in the 11200 block of South Langley Avenue, according to Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern. When officers arrived, they encountered the man in the street, and he pointed a gun in their direction. Officers then fired, hitting the man, Ahern said. It was unclear if more than one officer fired. The man, whose age wasn’t known, was taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Chicago Fire Department. No other details on his injuries were available. No officers were injured during the incident, Ahern said, adding that two guns and a knife were recovered at the scene.A 15-year-old boy was speaking to another male when he opened fire, striking him in the back, just after 4 p.m. in the 900 block of East 78th Street, police said. He was transported to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said.Hours earlier, a woman, 68, was struck in the arm by gunfire in the 4500 block of North Central Park Avenue just before 1 p.m., police said. Paramedics took her to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where her condition was stabilized.

At least three others were wounded Friday in citywide shootings.

Four people were wounded — among them a 16-year-old girl — in citywide shootings Thursday.

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Without a top draft pick, the Bears can avoid the Round 2 blues

The Bears have three Day 2 picks — No. 39 and 48 overall in Round 2 and No. 71 in Round 3. They’re one of eight teams without a scheduled first-round pick, but that’s not a death sentence.

Letters to the Editor

March against antisemitism and all forms of hate

Too often, we have seen extremist elected officials making veiled anti-Jewish statements and pursuing racist policies. We must not become desensitized to these attitudes.

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Bucks’ Portis, Allen ‘step up’ with Middleton hurton April 23, 2022 at 6:45 am

CHICAGO — After knocking down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter, extending an already substantial Milwaukee Bucks lead in what was shaping up to be a dominant victory in Game 3 on Friday night, Bucks forward Bobby Portis stopped and shimmed, savoring the basket for a few extra moments.

As Portis walked off the court, he was met by Bucks guard Grayson Allen, and the two dapped up and embraced before heading toward the bench. Their combined effort — Allen led all scorers with 22-points and Portis added 18 after moving into the starting lineup — helped guide the Bucks to a 111-81 victory and play spoiler for a Chicago crowd that was about to head for the exits with the game already out of reach.

In Milwaukee’s first game without forward Khris Middleton, who will miss the rest of this first-round series with a sprained MCL, Allen and Portis stepped in to fill the void to lead Milwaukee to a 2-1 series advantage. Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

“It’s a big game for us, no excuses to be made,” Portis said after the game Friday. “One of our brothers went down and guys had to step up.”

The Bucks planned to lean on their experience to make it through this series in the absence of one of their best players. They closed out the Eastern Conference Finals last season without star Giannis Antetokounmpo. They used 31 different starting lineups to make it through this season and Friday’s super-sized starting lineup featuring Portis, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez in the front court with Wes Matthews and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt had only played two minutes together, during Game 1, during the entire season. So, the Bucks were ready to make up for Middleton’s absence on Friday.

“We’ve had guys that have been out at different times throughout the season and we’ve had other guys that have had to step up,” Bucks guard Pat Connaugton said at shootaround Friday morning. “This is no different.” In addition to his new role in the starting lineup, Portis was also forced to don a new look for Game 3. He wore protective goggles to play the game, his right eye still red from the aftermath of taking an elbow to the face from Bulls center Tristian Thompson during the first quarter of Game 2.

“I couldn’t see at all,” Portis said about Game 2. “When it happened, I just fell down because I got dizzy and I couldn’t see. I just blacked out.”

Portis acknowledged that his eye was still in some pain, but he played through it, knocking down 7 of 14 shots from the field (4 of 8 from 3) for 18 points in 25 minutes.

“He stepped up and he made big plays,” Bulls guard Zach LaVine said. “He did his job and I think we have to adjust if that’s how they’re going to go moving forward.”

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer went with Portis instead of moving Allen into the starting lineup like he had earlier in the season. But no Bucks player has his production fluctuate so drastically whether Middleton plays.

With Middleton in the lineup during the regular season, Allen averaged 9.6 points in 53 games compared to 17.2 points in the 13 games without him.

And although Allen hadn’t made a 3-pointer during the first two games of the series, he went 5 of 7 on Friday, setting a new playoff career-high with 22 points.

“Mentally my mindset was the same,” Allen said. “Maybe I was a little bit quicker to shoot some of those catch and shoot shots I got, but I think it was just being in different spots. Some of those spots Khris is usually in on offense, I was there and I got the ball.”

“The great thing is, even after I hadn’t hit a three in the series yet, Pat had missed a couple, and Giannis and Jrue were still throwing it to us. They still trust in us after that and it gives us that confidence. We know it’ll eventually go-in.”

While Allen and Portis helped contribute offensively, Holiday and Matthews continued to pester the Bulls best scorers in LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan could not replicate anything near his 41-point performance in Game 2, limited to only nine shot attempts on Friday, the fewest he has put up in any game this season.

“I wasn’t frustrated at all, I knew they were going to make adjustments,” said DeRozan, who finished 4-of-9 shooting with 11 points. “I got a feel for it throughout the game, but by the time I got a feel for it, they had it rolling offensively. You’ve got to give them credit, now it’s on us to make our adjustments on how we’re going to counter that.”

The Bulls were hosting their first playoff game since 2017 and fans packed into a sold-out United Center brimming with anticipation before tip-off.

However, they never had much to cheer about. Milwaukee bulldozed Chicago’s playoff homecoming, handing the Bulls their worst home playoff loss in franchise history, surpassing a 26-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1992. “They came out and whooped our butt,” DeRozan said. “Now it’s on us. How are we going to respond?”

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Bucks come off the ropes and throttle Bulls to take 2-1 series lead

It didn’t come as some subtle warning that Billy Donovan said to his team in passing.

No, the Bulls coach spent a good portion of the 24 hours leading into Game 3 reminding his players that Milwaukee was not only the defending champions, but was most dangerous when fighting off the ropes.

Even in last season’s title run, they won key playoff games with all-world forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, started the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Brooklyn down 0-2, and then in the Finals against the Phoenix Suns also dropped the first two games.

So the idea that the Bucks would somehow blink Friday night against the No. 6 seeded Bulls with the series tied 1-1 and without All-Star Khris Middleton (MCL sprain) in the lineup?

That just wasn’t reality.

The Bulls found that out, and then some, getting completely embarrassed 111-81 at the United Center, suffering the worst home playoff loss in team history.

Lesson hopefully learned.

“They responded the way they should have,” Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan said. “That’s a lesson on us. The best learning tool is to go through a situation. They came out and whipped our butt and now it’s up to us on how we want to respond.”

It will have to be a quick response, with Game 4 coming at noon on Sunday, and the Bucks retaking control of the best-of-seven series with a 2-1 lead.

“I don’t think there’s anything these guys haven’t seen,” Donovan said of Milwaukee. “They’ve been down in playoff series, they’ve been tied in playoff series, they’ve been up in playoff series. They’ve dealt with different challenges over the course of their run the last several years. Khris Middleton is a great player, but they obviously have a lot of other players around him that are really, really special.”

And one the Bulls were very familiar with.

That Bucks resiliency was on full display right from the tip, as former Bull Bobby Portis was given the starting nod in place of Middleton and instantly played a factor.

Within the first four minutes of the Game 3 showdown, Portis had eight points, including two three pointers, and was another rim protector causing the Bulls to get stagnant on the perimeter as they fell behind 15-6.

That stagnant offense was a theme most of the first half, as the Bulls ended the quarter down 33-17, and were down 22 after a Portis layup with 7:39 left in the second.

A deficit that the home team found hard to chip away at.

“Without question they were the aggressor,” Donovan said. “[Friday] was a night they shot the ball a lot better than we did and then I thought we lost our way when we struggled to make shots. That’s what I talk about with teams that have won championships. They know how to respond. They went to another level and we did not.”

Case in point was not only the scoreboard, but the box score.

The Bucks shot 36.6% from three-point range and had 46 points in the paint, while the Bulls shot 26.5% from three and had 30 points in the paint.

And as far as DeRozan and his 41-point Game 2? How about Milwaukee handcuffing him all night, holding him to 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting?

“I knew they were going to make adjustments,” DeRozan said. “Got a feel for it throughout the game, but by the time I got a feel they had already made a run. Now I’ve got to take advantage of how they’re going to guard me and Zach [LaVine] for sure.”

LaVine finished with 15 on 6-for-13 shooting.

“Us respond,” LaVine said, when asked what he wanted to see from his team in Game 4. “They came out and hit us in the mouth and we didn’t respond the right way.”

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Cubs hitters stymied again in 4-2 loss to Pirates

The Cubs were stymied by former Cub left-hander Jose Quintana and four relievers as their hitting funk continued in a 4-2 loss to the Pirates on Friday night at Wrigley Field. It was the Cubs’ fourth consecutive loss.

Michael Hermosillo hit a two-run double in the second inning for a 2-2 tie — his first hit of the season after an 0-for-12 start. The Cubs (6-8) had seven hits — six of them singles.

“Just couldn’t really get much going,” manager David Ross said. “We had some good at-bats there early on. Big hit from Mike to kind of get us back to tied. They got two solo shots and we couldn’t get much going.”

With the Cubs trailing 4-2 in the eighth, Seiya Suzuki ended an 0-for-10 skein with a sharp lead-off single to right-center off hard-throwing reliever David Bednar. But Bednar struck out Willson Contreras, Frank Schwindel and pinch-hitter Rafael Ortega to end the inning.

Nico Hoerner’s infield single in the ninth put runners on first and third with two outs against Chris Stratton. But Nick Madrigal grounded out to second to end the game.

Cubs starter Drew Smyly (1-1), who had not allowed a run in his first two starts (9 2/3 innings), allowed four runs on six hits in five-plus innings, including home runs to catcher Roberto Perez and first baseman Michael Chavis.

“I thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Smyly said. “This game is hard to get results, game-in and game-out. I thought I made some good pitches. They hit a couple homers. One to Chavis, I probably just kind of went to the curveball one too many times. He’s probably sitting on it. I threw it a lot to him. And he put a good swing on it.

“The one to Perez, I’m pretty sure I broke his bat and it just went out, so sometimes crazy thinks like that happen. I thought I was making good pitches overall.”

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‘Awesome’ Reese McGuire looks to give White Sox pitchers an edge

MINNEAPOLIS — Catcher Reese McGuire prides himself on throwing out would-be base stealers. And helping a pitcher stealing a pitch whenever he can.

McGuire helped right-hander Michael Kopech, who threw five scoreless innings in the White Sox’ game against the Twins Friday at Target Field, by catching Jorge Polanco trying to steal second, ending the first.

He also helped by hustling outside the first base line to make a sliding stop of second baseman Leury Garcia’s errant throw headed for the Twins dugout on what looked like a routine double play, keeping Miguel Sano out of scoring position in a one-run game.

McGuire also likes stealing a pitch for his pitchers, not only with good framing but having a sense for when a hitter might be taking all the way on the first pitch.

“I feel like I have a great game plan going into a game,” McGuire said, “and when hitters come into the box whether we know they’re aggressive or patient, I’ve developed over the years – call it baseball IQ — sensing a little tendency like, ‘OK this guy is aggressive but I think we can steal a strike right here, he’s taking the first pitch.’ ”

As McGuire says, the difference in hitting ahead or behind in the count is significant. Throwing the first pitch for a strike is first on any pitcher’s priority list.

It’s one small thing McGuire has added to the Sox catching tandem with No. 1 Yasmani Grandal, who rates among baseball’s best pitch framers per Statcast. McGuire ranks above average, and his acquisition in a trade with the Blue Jays for Zack Collins at the end of spring training significantly upgraded a spot that needed it.

“For me to add my value here in game calling and blocking balls and throwing guys out I definitely am excited to have a new start here,” said McGuire, who threw out a solid 11 of 31 with the Jays last season.

McGuire was 2-for-6 throwing out runners this season after he nailed Polanco. Kopech made his third start of the season, and McGuire has caught them all.

In this one, Kopech was excellent again, striking out seven, walking one and allowing three hits while lowering his ERA to 0.64 as the light-hitting Sox tried to snap a four-game losing streak. Andrew Vaughn hit his third homer against Bailey Ober leading off the fifth for a 1-0 lead. McGuire followed with a double but Jake Burger (strikeout), Tim Anderson (tap to the mound) and Garcia (0-for-4, three strikeouts) struck out, leaving McGuire stranded.

Manager Tony La Russa said Sox coach Shelley Duncan, who knew McGuire while he was a Blue Jays coach, described the catcher as “awesome” when the Sox looked into acquiring him. And coach Jerry Narron, who works with catchers, said similar things.

“And that’s what he is — awesome,” La Russa said. “He’s sharp back there, he moves great, he has a good throwing arm. See him making adjustments with guys he’s barely caught, so we’re really pleased. And he takes a swing, too. He’ll get hits.”

McGuire caught six of the Sox’ first 13 games, an indication of the workload lying ahead. Sliding his left-handed bat with a .246/.297/.382 career slash line into the lineup and allowing Grandal to keep his legs fresh while DH-ing or sitting out as he did Friday is a plus.

McGuire hasn’t had much time to become acclimated to the pitching staff, but that’s “not as hard as people think,” he said.

“Moving forward it’s now that I know what your pitch looks like and what you like to throw, now how can I address with my setup and things like that,” he said. “It’s an ongoing thing.

“The game behind the dish is my thing, navigating a pitcher, the sequencing, framing different pitches and communicating.”

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Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine should be ashamed of his poor playRyan Heckmanon April 23, 2022 at 1:48 am

After securing a Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, one would think that the Chicago Bulls came out firing on Friday night to start Game 3.

That notion would be completely and utterly false, as the Bulls came out flat, lethargic and with zero movement on offense to start the game. After huge performances in Game 2 by DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, the Bulls looked lost to begin the first half at home.

One particular guy who needed to come out and establish himself early on is Zach LaVine. After talking quite a bit about how he’s unwilling to back down from anybody and, though this is his first playoff experience, he’s ready, LaVine has looked anything but ready.

A mediocre 18 points in Game 1 followed by 20 in Game 2 saw LaVine take a back seat and fail to be aggressive. Game 3 is where the Bulls needed him to finally assert himself, but he once again decided not to.

The first half of Game 3 was a complete embarrassment for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

Entering halftime down 60-41, LaVine and the Bulls were searching for answers. That first half saw LaVine jogging around to begin the game, with no real purpose. He was anything but aggressive on offense and failed to close out on defense multiple times.

When LaVine actually got the ball, his first instinct was to take a dribble or two towards the hoop and then pass. Instead of driving the lane and going up strong, LaVine instead became passive on almost every possession. He passed, passed and then passed some more.

LaVine went into the locker room with a -19 plus/minus for the first half — an abysmal performance, and that’s putting it nicely. LaVine shot 3-for-9 from the field and on mostly jumpers — again, no aggression. No assertion.

If the Bulls are to have any shot at this series, let alone making this a game in the second half, they will need LaVine to finally step up and play some ball.

If he doesn’t, then the Bulls are going to have a very difficult decision to make this summer when LaVine hits free agency. The way he’s been playing as of late, LaVine is far from a max player — zero chance he deserves that kind of money.

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Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine should be ashamed of his poor playRyan Heckmanon April 23, 2022 at 1:48 am Read More »

ChiSox’s Anderson suspended 1 game for gestureon April 23, 2022 at 1:51 am

MINNEAPOLIS — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday for giving fans the middle finger during a game Wednesday in Cleveland.

Anderson is appealing the ban and remained in the lineup hitting leadoff Friday night at Minnesota.

Anderson had three errors in the first two innings of Chicago’s 11-1 loss Wednesday in the opener of a doubleheader. The frustrated 28-year-old made the gesture toward a fan while out in the field.

It’s the second time MLB has suspended Anderson this season. He served a two-game ban on opening weekend for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the ninth inning of a game on Sept. 27. Anderson successfully appealed that suspension down from three games.

Anderson is batting .333 with five RBIs and a home run heading into this week’s series in Minneapolis. He made his first All-Star team in 2021 and finished the season with a .309 average, 17 home runs and 61 RBIs to help lead the White Sox to an AL Central title.

Anderson has five errors this season, all in his last two games. He committed just 10 all of last season.

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