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CLEVELAND — Stephen Vogt has tried to look at the bright side despite everything that has gone wrong for his Cleveland Guardians over the past two weeks.

“We’re all wearing it. It’s frustrating, but the only way to get through frustrating situations is to stay positive and keep working,” the manager said before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Vogt’s power of positivity is going to be tested over the next week.

Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the Tigers in 10 innings extended the Guardians’ losing streak to 10 games, the first time since 2012 they’ve had a double-digit skid.

It’s the 11th time in franchise history they have lost 10 straight in a single season. The team record is 12, set in 1931.

“This game felt like a kick in the pants. It really did. Gut-wrenching. Heart-wrenching,” Vogt said.

Cleveland is an American League-worst 9-22 since June 1, including a 4-12 mark at home. The Guardians have dropped eight of their past 10 three-game series and have been swept four times.

At 40-48, the Guardians are assured of going into the All-Star break under .500 for the first time since 2015.

Cleveland is 6½ games out of a wild-card spot after it won the AL Central and reached the AL Championship Series last season. Repeating as division champions is out of reach with a 15½-game deficit to the Tigers after being swept over the weekend.

To say the Guardians are struggling at the plate would be kind. They are batting .166 during the skid, their worst 10-game stretch since posting a .163 average in 2020.

Clutch hitting has been even worse. The Guardians are 5-for-52 during the losing streak with runners in scoring position, including 2-for-31 with two out.

“I feel like we’re getting our runners on just waiting for that one big hit. The pitchers are doing what they have to do. We had some good defense last couple days,” said Steven Kwan, who earned his second straight AL All-Star selection Sunday.

Cleveland went 9-15 in June and had a .206 batting average, which is tied for the third-worst batting month in franchise history with at least 13 games played.

The Guardians are winless in six July games, including two shutouts.

“We haven’t been great at situational hitting. We have to continue to work on that. It’s frustrating,” Vogt said.

Kwan and third baseman Jose Ramirez are the only every-day players batting above .240. Even Ramirez, the AL’s starting All-Star third baseman, has cooled off, going 3-for-31 in the past 10 games. His batting average during the skid has dropped 21 points to .297.

Pitching for the most part has been solid but has faltered at key times. On Sunday, closer Emmanuel Clase threw a wild pitch on a 99.9 mph cutter on a 1-2 count with two outs in the ninth inning, allowing pinch runner Zach McKinstry to score the tying run.

Trey Sweeney‘s three-run homer in the 10th inning marked the first time that someone had gone deep on Cade Smith in 81 appearances and 78⅔ innings.

After facing Detroit ace Tarik Skubal on Sunday, the Guardians face the Houston AstrosHunter Brown on Monday. Brown leads the AL with a 1.82 ERA and his 126 strikeouts are seventh.

The Guardians have also not been immune to off-field issues. Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation involving prop bets on pitches he made and was put on leave Thursday.

Vogt has tried to remain calm while while stressing that a lot of the season remains to be played. But with the trade deadline less than a month away, time might be running out.

“It doesn’t do any good to loathe or talk about negatives and moan and complain,” Vogt said. “That’s not productive. We’ve got to keep working to get better. We’re all in this together. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, it’s going to turn.”

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Utes’ Whittingham reenergized after ’24 free fall

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Utes' Whittingham reenergized after '24 free fall

FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.

Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.

After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024

Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.

After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”

They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.

“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”

Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.

“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.

The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.

MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.

MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.

As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.

The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

The Kansas City Royals have signed former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old left-hander will start at Triple-A Omaha and will earn a prorated $2 million salary if he reaches the big leagues, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Keuchel has not pitched in the majors for nearly a full calendar year. He elected to become a free agent on July 18, 2024, after being designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers.

In four starts with the Brewers last season, Keuchel had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings without a decision. In 13 major league seasons, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner with the Houston Astros is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA in 282 appearances (267 starts).

After pitching his first seven seasons with the Astros, Keuchel has made appearances for six different teams since 2019. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017 and is a two-time All-Star selection and five-time Gold Glove winner.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

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