First Call: Mitch Keller passed over as Tyler Glasnow’s All-Star replacement; ex-Carolina star praises Diontae Johnson trade
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At least one former Carolina Panthers star is pumped about his old team landing ex-Steeler Diontae Johnson in a trade.
One of the three sons of former Steelers who committed to Notre Dame is already heading elsewhere.
Tyler Glasnow is out of the All-Star game. Does that mean Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller will replace him? Does that mean Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes is in as the National League starter?
We investigate all those topics in Wednesday’s “First Call.”
Miss him once he’s gone?
Many Steelers fans are fretting more about the fact that the team hasn’t adequately replaced Dionate Johnson at wide receiver than they are over Johnson actually leaving.
Inconsistencies in production over the past two years, injuries, some alleged locker room grousing and lack of effort on a play in Cincinnati last year didn’t exactly endear Johnson to Steelers supporters.
But folks in Charlotte seem happy to have him after Johnson landed there in a trade for Donte Jackson. Panthers radio analyst and former All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly was on “Up & Adams” on Monday. He seems to think Johnson will do well with the Panthers.
“I think the Diontae Johnson thing is going to be a bigger deal than what we think. (Adam) Thielen is going to be able to control the slot — the middle of the field,” Kuechly said. “But you need a guy on third down that can just go get open. They’re going to play man (coverage). You’re going to have inside help. They’re going to try to funnel you there. Who can just go straight-up win one-on-one man coverage? That’s what he does really well.”
Indeed, Johnson’s strongest trait was his route running. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep his emotions in check with the Panthers. Much like the Steelers a year ago, that offense struggled with rookie Bryce Young at quarterback.
With Thielen and first-round pick Xavier Legette in the pass-catching mix as well, I wonder if Johnson will get enough completions and big plays to keep himself happy down there.
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That didn’t last long
I hope everybody got their stories up about those three former Steelers who all have sons going to play football at Notre Dame at the same time.
Because one of them has already changed his mind.
The sons of Jerome Bettis (Jerome Bettis Jr.), Plaxico Burress (Elijah Burress) and Ike Taylor (Ivan Taylor) were all committed to the Fighting Irish as recently as last month. They are all part of the 2025 recruiting class.
Jerome Bettis Ike Taylor Plaxico Burress and theirs sons who will all be playing at Notre Dame together #steelers pic.twitter.com/GCeLszDaEj
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) June 17, 2024
However, this week, Taylor flipped his commitment to Michigan. A 6-foot, 174-pound safety, Taylor is a four-star recruit and is ranked 54th in the country by 247Sports Composite. Via the Detroit News, Taylor took an official visit to Michigan on June 21.
According to The Athletic, Taylor was the No. 2 prospect in Notre Dame’s class and is currently No. 2 in Michigan’s as well.
Bettis Jr. and Burress are both three-star receivers. Burress is a product of DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. Bettis Jr. is from at Woodward Academy in Atlanta.
Glasnow gone
Not only should Paul Skenes start the All-Star game for the National League, he might have to at this point.
Former Pirate Tyler Glasnow is the latest All-Star pitcher who won’t be throwing in the Mid-Summer Classic. The Los Angeles Dodgers just placed him on the injured list with back tightness. The right-hander is 8-5 with a 3.47 ERA in his first season with the Dodgers. He was set to make his All-Star debut.
Via the Associated Press, Glasnow’s back flared up playing catch over the weekend. Manager Dave Roberts is expecting a Glasnow return “at some point after the All-Star break.”
Zack Wheeler’s back also tightened up on him Tuesday during the Philadelphia Phillies’ 10-1 win over the Dodgers. Wheeler is an All-Star starting pitcher as well and improved his record to 10-4 with a 2.70 ERA before getting pulled after five innings. He’s also slated to start Sunday if his back is OK, and, according to ESPN.com, is unsure if he’ll even make the trip to Texas for the event next Tuesday.
Chris Sale, who pitched for the Atlanta Braves during a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks is unlikely to start since he is slated to pitch Sunday too.
So it may come down to Skenes, Atlanta’s Renaldo Lopez or Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez.
Thus far, in 10 starts with the Pirates, Skenes is 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 78 strikeouts against only 12 walks in 59⅓ innings.
Lopez has the best ERA in Major League Baseball at 1.71 over 16 starts. He also is 7-2 with nine quality starts and a 1.13 WHIP. Suarez is 10-3 with a 2.58 ERA, second in the NL behind Lopez.
Greene goes
As for who will replace Glasnow on the roster, it’s not going to Pirates starter Mitch Keller.
The NL is going with Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene instead.
HG to the ASG.
Congrats to Hunter Greene on being named to his first All-Star Game‼️ pic.twitter.com/9z64jUHbs6
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 9, 2024
Keller is 10-4 with an ERA of 3.40 and 102 strikeouts. Greene is 5-4 with an ERA of 3.45 and 116 strikeouts.
It probably should’ve been Keller. The right-hander admitted to having some disappointment over not being selected for a second trip in his career. Maybe he’ll replace Wheeler or someone else on the roster soon.
For the birds
Another ex-Pirates pitcher, Jameson Taillon, and Mt. Lebanon’s Ian Happ both had solid contributions in the Chicago Cubs’ 9-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Taillon pitched six innings, striking out seven Orioles, while allowing just two runs on four hits and a lone walk. He also got some defensive help from Miles Mastrobuoni.
DE-FENSE ???? ???? DE-FENSE ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/GitKIIb9NG
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 9, 2024
Taillon’s record improves to 6-4 with the win, and his ERA dipped to 2.99. As for Happ, he homered during the game.
Ian Happ sends one to Eutaw Street! pic.twitter.com/MgSMuSKZxE
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 9, 2024
That was Happ’s 14th homer. He is now hitting .416 in the month of July. The Cubs are still just 43-49, last place in the National League Central.