NEW YORK (AP) — The first-place Philadelphia Phillies made a couple of changes to their bullpen Tuesday when they placed struggling reliever Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list with finger inflammation and released fellow right-hander Joe Ross.
Both pitchers were ineffective Monday night late in a 13-3 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field. Philadelphia recalled right-hander Daniel Robert and selected the contract of righty Lou Trivino from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Romano gave up a three-run homer to No. 9 batter Luis Torrens on Monday and was tagged for four runs on two hits and a walk in the seventh inning. He landed on the IL with inflammation in his right middle finger.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Romano has been dealing with the problem “for a while” and it could have contributed to his fluctuating velocity this season.
“I would think so,” Thomson said before Tuesday night's 6-5 loss to the Mets. “I heard about it either yesterday or the day before. They thought they had it worked out. Just inflammation in that right middle finger. I’m sure it affects his grip. Who knows how long he’s had it? Didn’t say anything. He wants to pitch.”
A two-time All-Star in Toronto, the 32-year-old Romano signed with Philadelphia in December and began this year closing games for the Phillies. But he has struggled in his first season with the team, going 2-4 with an 8.23 ERA over 49 appearances. He has eight saves in 11 chances.
Ross, also 32, was 2-1 with a 5.12 ERA in 36 relief outings and one start covering 51 innings for the Phillies. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the eighth inning Monday against the Mets.
“Really just performance more than anything,” Thomson explained. “Ross is a good man, good teammate, take the ball whenever. We wanted to get a look at Trivino.”
The 33-year-old Trivino signed with Philadelphia as a minor league free agent on Aug. 4. He struck out seven in seven scoreless innings with Lehigh Valley.
Trivino went 3-1 with a 4.42 ERA in 37 combined appearances with the Giants and Dodgers this season. He has also pitched for the Athletics and Yankees during a six-year major league career.
“He’s not going to be afraid, that’s for sure,” Thomson said. “Stuff’s good. Fastball’s 95, 96 (mph). Cutter, slider, curveball to lefties. He’s been throwing well. Same thing with Daniel — his last three outings have been clean.”
Robert, 30, had a 5.79 ERA with 12 strikeouts and eight walks in 12 relief appearances with the Phillies earlier this season. He came off the 15-day injured list Aug. 17 and was optioned to Triple-A.
Thomson said he would use both Trivino and Robert for multiple innings.
Philadelphia holds a five-game lead in the NL East over the Mets.
AP freelance reporter Jerry Beach contributed.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson, left, takes the ball from pitcher Ranger Suárez during pitching change in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Joe Ross reacts after the Philleis won a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.
Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.
Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.
“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”
Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.
Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.
Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.
“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”
Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.
“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”
Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.
Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.
Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.
“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”
Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.
Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.
Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan was second last year and second overall overnight but he plunged out of the top 15, at least.
Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
