Morning sports update: Patriots’ preseason schedule includes a Super Bowl LII rematch
Joe Kelly drilled Tyler Austin’s ribs with a 97-mph fastball, then landed an overhand right to the designated hitter’s head as the Red Sox and Yankees brawled during New York’s 10-7 win. Aron Baynes had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics in their final regular season game, a 110-97 win over the Nets. And the Bruins’ chase for the Stanley Cup begins Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Patriots’ preseason schedule includes a Super Bowl LII rematch
The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Gillette Stadium as defending champions early next fall. In the 2018 preseason schedule the NFL announced Wednesday, the Patriots and Eagles are slated to meet in the second exhibition game.
For the past two seasons, the Patriots have held join practices with the teams they faced in the first two preseason games. If they stay true to that pattern, Bill Belichick’s defense will have the opportunity for a small measure of revenge in August. New England will most likely be up against Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles in that matchup as Carson Wentz works back from an ACL injury.
“I don’t need him in preseason,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said at the NFL meetings. “I need him in Week 1.”
Here’s the Patriots’ preseason schedule:
Week 1: Washington Redskins at Gillette Stadium
Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium
Week 3: Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium
Week 4: New York Giants at MetLife Stadium
The regular season schedule has yet to be announced.
What the Red Sox and Yankees had to say about their bench-clearing brawl: The AL East rivals had very different perspectives on Austin’s third inning slide that led to the seventh inning dustup.
“I thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with that slide,” Austin added. “I had no thought that they were going to throw at me.”
Brock Holt, the Red Sox shortstop on the receiving end of the slide, exchanged words with Austin at the time and said after the game that it was a “bad slide.”
“Typical Red Sox-Yankee game,” Holt said. “About four hours long and a couple of bench-clearing brawls. We’re right on track here.” (Boston.com)
David Price explained his first-inning exit against the Yankees: Price gave up four runs in the shortest start of his career Wednesday, leaving the game after a 35-pitch first inning. The team announced he’d been pulled for precautionary reasons, and Price told reporters postgame that he didn’t have any feeling in his fingertips. (Boston.com)
Here come the Bruins, primed to ice your Super Bowl hangover: The Bruins’ Stanley Cup campaign begins nine weeks after the Patriots “epic gag job” in Super Bowl LII.
“I just hope none of the defensemen irk Bruce Cassidy between now and puck drop or it’s going to be two more months digging in the sand of reasons why he didn’t play,” Eric Wilbur writes. “Nonetheless, here’s Take Two for 2018, trying to sweep away the bad taste left in Minnesota.” (Boston.com)
Daily highlight:
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/984256977277665280
