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DENVER — The Winnipeg Jets are on the verge of getting eliminated in five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season.

A 5-1 loss Sunday to the Colorado Avalanche sent the Jets into a 3-1 series hole while facing numerous questions about what has gone wrong with them since they won Game 1.

“The problems are self-inflicted,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “Want to take penalties? Want to play a three-quarter ice game? You’re playing right into their hands.”

One of the main questions facing the Jets: What’s going on with star goaltender and 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck?

Hellebuyck entered the playoffs with a 37-19-4 record, a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. It was the sort of season that allowed the Jets to finish with 52 wins and 110 points and become discussed as a serious challenger in the Western Conference.

It’s also why Hellebuyck is in line to potentially win a second Vezina as he finished the regular season ranked second in wins, second in save percentage, third in GAA among goaltenders with more than 40 games and fifth in shutouts.

This postseason, however, has provided a contrast.

The Jets were formidable in the regular season in part because they allowed 29.6 shots per game, 11th fewest in the NHL, while also giving up the ninth-fewest scoring chances per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.

In four games against the Avs, they have allowed an average of 38.3 shots. Only the Los Angeles Kings have allowed more, at 38.7 per contest, this postseason. As for their scoring chances per 60, only the Vegas Golden Knights have given up more than the Jets on that front.

Sunday was a reflection of that reality. Hellebuyck faced more than 30 shots and allowed more than four goals for a fourth straight game. It led to him being pulled to start the third period, with the Jets turning to Laurent Brossoit to finish the contest.

Hellebuyck has a 5.05 GAA, a .870 save percentage and has allowed 19 goals through four playoff games.

“[To] give him a break,” Bowness said of why he pulled Hellebuyck. “It was just too much. … He was having to make save after save. Just giving him a break. It’s not on him whatsoever. It’s on the players in front of him.”

Jets alternate captain Mark Scheifele agreed with Bowness’ assessment.

“I don’t think those goals are his fault,” Scheifele said. “He’s our backbone, he’s our heart and soul.”

Giving up power-play opportunities and watching the Avalanche convert those chances are what doomed the Jets in a 5-2 loss in Game 3.

The same issue hindered them again Sunday.

Both teams went on the power play four times, but the Avalanche scored twice while the Jets didn’t score at all. Valeri Nichushkin, who finished with a hat trick, scored the first power-play goal that gave the Avs a 2-1 lead more than eight minutes into the second period.

After star defenseman Cale Makar pushed the lead to 3-1 more than four minutes later, Nichushkin increased the lead to 4-1 with his second power-play goal of the day. He completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal in the third.

“For us right now, we’re working well as a five-man unit,” Makar said. “I think both power-play units are doing a great job at puck possession and finding ways to generate opportunities at the net, whether that’s to screen or getting pucks there. For us, I think it’s just a cohesive unit right now and we’re trying to find different ways to exploit them.”

The Jets entered Sunday without defenseman Brenden Dillon, who sustained a lacerated right hand as part of an on-ice scrum at the end of Game 3.

Dillon’s absence was compounded by the fact the Jets also lost Vladislav Namestnikov in the third period. The forward, who once played for the Avalanche, was injured when the Jets won a faceoff and a Nate Schmidt slap shot struck Namestnikov’s face.

Namestnikov was on the ice for a few minutes before slowly getting up. The Jets athletic training staff assisted Namestnikov, who compressed the blood on his face with a towel, to their back room for treatment. Bowness said Namestnikov was taken to a hospital but the coach had no update on his condition.

After missing the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, the Jets returned in 2022-23 and opened with a 5-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights before losing the next four games to the eventual defending champions.

Having one of the strongest regular seasons of any team in the NHL led to the belief that this year could be different. The idea was made even more real by the fact that they were 3-0 against the Avs and scored 17 goals in those contests.

Now the Jets must win Game 5 or they will have another early exit as the Avs try to win their second Stanley Cup title in three years.

“It’s completely different,” Scheifele said when asked if this year’s playoffs are similar to those of last season. “Completely different teams on both sides of the coin. We had a good regular season against them. They made adjustments and we haven’t. We’ve got to bring a different game come Tuesday.”

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Nats seek ‘fresh approach,’ fire Martinez, Rizzo

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Nats seek 'fresh approach,' fire Martinez, Rizzo

The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.

Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.

“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.

“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.

“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”

The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.

The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.

There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.

Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.

Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.

Among the first-time All-Stars announced Sunday: Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown and shortstop Jeremy Pena; and Chicago Cubs 34-year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd.

“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.

First-time All-Stars previously elected to start by the fans include Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.

Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.

“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”

Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.

Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.

Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.

The players vote for the reserves at each position and selected Wood, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as the backup outfielders. Kyle Stowers also made it as a backup outfielder as the representative for the Miami Marlins.

Unless Soto later is added as an injury replacement, he’ll miss his first All-Star Game since his first full season in 2019.

The Dodgers lead all teams with five representatives: Kershaw, Yamamoto and starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The AL-leading Detroit Tigers (57-34) and Mariners have four each.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will join AL starters Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, while Raleigh, the AL’s starting catcher, will be joined by Seattle teammates Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Julio Rodriguez.

Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.

The hometown Braves will have three All-Stars in Acuna, pitcher Chris Sale (his ninth selection, tied with Freeman for the second most behind Kershaw) and first baseman Matt Olson. The San Francisco Giants had three pitchers selected: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and reliever Randy Rodriguez.

The slumping New York Yankees ended up with three All-Stars: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Max Fried. The Mets also earned three All-Star selections: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.

“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”

Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.

Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.

The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.

Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.

“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”

Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.

“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.

The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.

“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”

For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.

That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.

“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”

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