
'It's all basketball': LaMelo says no rift with Bam
LaMelo Ball relieved Bam Adebayo's injury isn't serious after tripping him in game.

The Yankees' bullpen has struggled recently, allowing 14 earned runs in 17 innings during a series against the Angels. Their ERA since April 5 is 5.59, contributing to a disappointing 3-8 record over that stretch.
The Yankeesâ bullpen hasnât provided much relief lately.
Yankees relievers surrendered 14 earned runs in 17 innings over this weekâs four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.
The bullpen entered Friday with a 5.59 ERA since April 5, a stretch in which the Yankees went just 3-8.
For the season, the Yankeesâ bullpen ERA is 4.13, which ranks 17th among MLB teams.
âWeâve gotta be more consistent with it,â manager Aaron Boone said after Thursdayâs 11-4 loss to the Angels in the Bronx. âThatâs why thereâs opportunity for these guys to continue to grab roles, cement roles, see what we have, and hopefully some real key people emerge for us.â
The bullpen was one of the Yankeesâ biggest question marks after the offseason departures of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both of whom spent time at closer and in set-up roles last year.
This yearâs group of relievers eased those concerns as the Yankees jumped out to a 7-1 start on the strength of their pitching, but itâs been a different story since then.
David Bednar, the All-Star closer the Yankees acquired at last yearâs trade deadline, entered Friday with a 4.70 ERA. He blew his first save in six opportunities in last Saturdayâs 5-4 loss in Tampa, taking the loss to fall to 0-2.
Camilo Doval, another pre-deadline big-name acquisition, began Friday with a 7.36 ERA through nine appearances.
Ryan Yarbrough surrendered a grand slam to Jo Adell in Thursdayâs loss.
And for the second season in a row, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after pitching to a 7.71 ERA through eight appearances.
The Yankees' bullpen ERA for the season is 4.13, ranking 17th among MLB teams.
The Yankees' bullpen surrendered 14 earned runs in 17 innings during the four-game series against the Angels.
Manager Aaron Boone emphasized the need for more consistency and mentioned the opportunity for relievers to cement their roles.
Since April 5, the Yankees have a record of 3-8.

LaMelo Ball relieved Bam Adebayo's injury isn't serious after tripping him in game.

Get ready for $150 train fares from NYC to MetLife Stadium for World Cup matches!

Texans and Will Anderson Jr. agree to historic $150M extension!

Avalanche lead Stanley Cup odds, but Sabres intrigue bettors
Will Anderson's new contract with the Texans sets an NFL record!
Donnie Freeman's transfer decision favors Kentucky while UConn faces setbacks and Alabama's future remains unclear.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
âI like where Bednar is getting to in his last couple outings,â Boone said. âTimmy Hill is throwing the ball really well. [Brent] Headrickâs throwing the ball well. And all of them, in different spurts, have been key elements in some important, winning, low-scoring games.â
Indeed, the left-handers Hill (1.00 ERA through nine appearances) and Headrick (1.74 ERA through 12 appearances) have been bright spots for the Yankee bullpen.
So has right-hander Fernando Cruz, who entered Friday with a 2.45 ERA.
âI do feel like Camilo, even though he got nicked by the homer off of [Mike] Trout [in Mondayâs 11-10 win], is throwing the ball really well,â Boone said. âHeâs in the strike zone. Trout is probably the one guy that hits that slider he threw to him out [of the ballpark].â
But as a whole, the results havenât been there, as the Yankees began Friday with four blown saves, tied for the fourth most in the American League.
Thatâs why changes could be coming.
When Gerrit Cole and Carlos RodĂłn, both rehabbing from elbow operations, return to the big-league rotation in the coming weeks, the Yankees could have a surplus of starting pitching.
That would allow them to slide pitchers such as Will Warren and/or the hard-throwing David Weathers into relief roles.
The Yankees also have a flame-throwing prospect in Carlos Lagrange at Triple-A, and his 103-mph fastball would presumably play well out of the pen. But the Yankees likely want Lagrange to continue to build up his innings as a starter before they consider promoting him as a reliever, meaning he would be more of a second-half solution.
Thereâs also the Aug. 3 trade deadline, a point in the season in which the Yankees often add relievers, as evidenced by last summerâs acquisitions of Bednar, Doval and Bird.
But the Yankees need to get more out of their current relief corps before then, especially now that their offense has shaken off an early-season slumber.
âThe pitching kind of carried us the first 10 days, two weeks of the season,â Boone said. âWeâve got to get all that synced up, though. I know weâll hit our stride, and feel good about where weâre going to go, and weâre doing some of the right things. But weâve got to put it together now.â