SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Brewers.
The team has been waiting for a long time to get Brandon Woodruff back on the mound. Woodruff hasn’t started a game in the big leagues since 2023 but returned to the mound on Sunday afternoon. He left his first rehab stint this season with tendinitis in his right ankle. He was pitching for Triple-A Nashville on June 3 when a 108-mph line drive struck him in the right elbow, leaving a bruise that delayed his return. Milwaukee did have to make a tough decision to open up space in the rotation for him. Milwaukee announced on Sunday that it is optioning rookie starter Chad Patrick down to the minors. Patrick has been a savior for the Brewers this season.
With all of the injuries popping up, Milwaukee has needed depth and stability in the rotation. Patrick has provided that. He has made 19 appearances so far this season — including 18 starts — and has a 3.52 ERA and 95-to-30 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 94 2/3 innings pitched. It wasn’t expected that Patrick was going to have a big role heading into the 2025 season, but injuries opened the door for him, and he has made the most of it. Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff struck out eight and threw a two-hit ball through six innings against Miami to win his first start in the majors since the 2023 season. He hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since having shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. He is 47-26 with a 3.10 ERA in 116 career starts and 15 relief appearances. Woodruff (1-0) struck out the side in the first inning and was lifted after six innings and throwing 53 of his 70 pitches for strikes without a walk. Both of the hits he allowed were by Marlins left fielder Heriberto Hernandez, who singled in the third and homered in the fifth. Woodruff’s return was a long time coming.
The Milwaukee Bucks.
The team is waiving All-Star point guard Damian Lillard to give them the flexibility to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, according to sources close to the team. The stunning moves happened after Turner was unable to agree to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers a little more than a week after they lost the seven-game NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bucks are creating the room to sign Turner by waiving Lillard and stretching the remaining $113 million and two years on his contract. Lillard is expected to miss most, if not all, of next season after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs just days after he returned from dealing with deep vein thrombosis.
The Bucks made the moves to surround star Giannis Antetokounmpo with more talent. Lillard is said to be pleased to receive the buyout, given he can now focus on his rehab at his home in Portland and then later choose where he wants to resume his career. There is also the option that Lillard decides to sit out next season without a team, fully rehab from his injury, and then joins a title contender next summer. Either way, Lillard would have his pick of the litter in whatever team he wants to join. Whichever team adds Lillard, whether it’s this summer or next, it will be at an incredibly steep discount now that he will be making roughly $22.5 million in each of the next five seasons from the Bucks.
The Green Bay Packers.
Tickets are now on sale for Packers Family Night. which is set for Saturday evening, Aug. 2. Now in its 24th year, ‘Family Night’ will serve as the introduction of the 2025 Green Bay Packers, in person to a capacity crowd in Lambeau Field and on television to a statewide audience. Tickets are available for purchase solely online through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com. There will be a limit of 10 tickets per purchase during the first day of ticket sales. All individuals, regardless of age, require a ticket for admittance. Drivers will be permitted into the lot once they show the attendant their parking pass on their mobile device. Mobile parking passes are $5.16, with net proceeds to benefit the Meijer Simply Give hunger relief program and its mission to feed hungry families in partnership with local food pantry partners, including Paul’s Pantry, the Salvation Army of Green Bay, and the Giving Tree.
The evening remains family-focused and will feature a game-like atmosphere, featuring a thunderstick giveaway courtesy of Emplify Health by Bellin, King’s Hawaiian, Sargento, CareSource, and Meijer, use of the video boards featuring promotions by Bernatello’s Foods, UWGB and other partners, gameday music, jersey giveaways sponsored by TDS and a fireworks show presented by Ticketmaster at the end of the night. Families attending can look forward to more kid-favorite food items at select concession stands, with specific menu items and their locations to be announced as the event approaches.
