AUGUSTA, Ga. -- An impromptu celebration broke out Sunday afternoon on the Augusta National putting green, with Tiger Woods taking a Masters victory lap after being presented the green jacket by 2018 champion Patrick Reed.

As the masses cheered on Woods, then migrated with him as he left the green, Reed found himself caught up in the frenzy, trying to make his way toward the clubhouse when dozens upon hundreds of fans were streaming the other way.

Wearing his own green jacket and a yellow tie, Reed got swallowed up in the hysteria, all but run over -- a shared feeling of others in the aftermath of Woods' historic victory.

It was his 81st PGA Tour title, 15th major and fifth Masters. So naturally, it is fair to wonder what is next.

"I felt the hardest part for him was going to be the next one, to get to that 15 [major] mark,'' Reed said. "Because [his last major victory] was a long time ago. First, it was 'Can he get to the winner's circle?' Well, he checked that off at East Lake [where he won the 2018 Tour Championship.]

"Then it's, 'OK, he just needs to get that one [major] to get that taste again.' For him to get another one like he did, having everyone bunched on the leaderboard like that, I'd be shocked if he wasn't knocking on that door for 19.''

That might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but it is interesting that such a notion is even in the conversation, that Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles is even in play.

Because for so long it was not. Not after multiple injuries, swing issues, confidence woes and an 11-year period without a major championship.

"The way he played this week especially the way he played [Sunday] . . . it was brutal out there,'' Reed said. "The wind was thumping. You had to be able to control your golf ball. Not just distance wise. You had to be able to flight it, you had to hit every shot, whether it was a draw with the wind or a draw to hold the wind. High, low. To play the way he did and be able to bogey the last hole to win it just shows how great of a golfer he still is.''

Who would have dreamed it possible? Not Woods two years ago, when he was about to undergo spinal fusion surgery that would change his life and career. Certainly not a growing horde of naysayers, who figured his major-winning days were behind him even before back problems surfaced as Woods struggled despite being No. 1 in the world for the better part of 2013.

Woods had finally failed to convert a 54-hole lead in a major into victory at the 2009 PGA Championship. He had six top-six finishes over the next 14 majors that he played, his best a tie for third at the 2012 Open. Just two shots behind a year later at Muirfield, Woods tied for sixth -- the sixth time in his career he was within two shots of the lead entering the final round of a major without winning.

The first back surgery in 2014 knocked Woods out of the Masters and U.S. Open, but he wasn't a factor in any of the next six majors he played, missing four cuts.

Fellow players certainly had their doubts, watching Woods endure a case of the chipping yips in 2015, missing three cuts in majors that year, and then an aborted comeback in late 2016 and 2017.

And then there was the wait after surgery, the unknown, Woods saying, "I don't know what my future holds.''

But Rob McNamara never doubted. A vice president with Woods' TGR Ventures, McNamara has worked for Woods since 2000 and has become a trusted confidant as the golfer plays without a coach.

"I've always been an eternal optimist,'' McNamara said outside the Augusta clubhouse Sunday. "Even before the surgery, I thought if he's standing on two legs, he's still Tiger Woods. He was the best guy with a different swing and a different body at [age] 5 , at 10, at 15, at 20. So why not 43 with a bad back? In my mind, I was always optimistic. I know the reality of getting it done is pretty surreal.''

McNamara played with Woods at Augusta National on April 3, the Wednesday prior to tournament week and a few days after his quarterfinal loss at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Woods shot a 65 that day -- with a three-putt bogey on the first hole.

Then they returned to Augusta on April 7, late in the afternoon after most had left the course. Woods, McNamara and Joe LaCava, Woods' caddie, headed to the first tee, where Woods took with him just a wedge and a putter.

"Ballstriking-wise, he was way ahead of where he was last year coming into these last couple of months,'' McNamara said. "All year he's driven the ball and really struck the ball extremely well. It was just scoring. Short game and putting. I started to see a change once he started pitching it really close and tight. That was some of that work on Sunday night. Just taking a wedge around. He knew it was about pitches and chips and controlling your distance and your speed and your spin. He started getting dialed in and had a nice feel. I think that carried him through.''

Woods ranked just 47th in driving accuracy for the weekend, but he led the field in greens in regulation -- he has been first or second in all five of his victories -- hitting 58 of 72 greens. Woods made nine bogeys, two three-putting and seven times failing to get up and down for par.

But hitting all those greens was key, as Woods made 22 birdies, including six in the final round.

"I just felt so prepared coming into this event,'' Woods said. "This year, my finishes don't really reflect it [nothing better than a tie for 10th in four stroke play events], but I was starting to shape the ball the way that I know I can, which I needed for this week.

"Prep for the Masters started six months ago, so just trying to make sure I get ready to peak for this one week and I did, and everything came together, which is great.''

Can he peak again this year at the remaining majors? The process for Woods to get ready to play each day and each tournament is daunting. There are some early wake-up calls, with a stretching and cardio routine that sometimes involves therapy to get prepared. On off weeks, Woods can't pound hundreds of balls per day. He needs the proper mix of practice and tournament preparation to get it all right.

Now sixth in the world and 13th in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods has made worrying about qualifying for the season-ending FedEx Cup playoff events less of an issue. He reiterated he will play less than he did last year -- a total of 20 times worldwide, 18 on the PGA Tour.

An educated guess has him playing at the Wells Fargo Championship later this month, followed by every-other-week events at the PGA Championship, Memorial Tournament and U.S. Open. It is possible Woods does not play again after that until The Open at Royal Portrush, followed by a hectic run to the end of the season that includes the WGC-FedEx St. Jude following The Open and then three playoff events in August.

For now, the next push will be for an 82nd PGA Tour victory and matching Sam Snead's record. The PGA Tour plans a marketing campaign surrounding that pursuit.

But in the back of the mind will be the major chase of Nicklaus' record, revived again even if still a daunting task.

"You can't get to 18 unless you get to 15,'' LaCava said. "Now we're thinking about 16. That's the good news. That's the next one.''

The Golden State Warriors are fearful that All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a torn left quad but won't be certain until an MRI on Tuesday, league sources told ESPN.

The best-case scenario could be a strained quad, but there was evidence that Cousins' noncontact injury, which occurred while he was pursuing a loose ball in Monday's 135-131 Game 2 loss to the LA Clippers, was serious and season-ending, league sources said.

"There's a pretty significant quad injury," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "We'll get an MRI [on Tuesday], but he's going to be out for -- I'll just say a while because I think it's unclear right now how long he'll be out. It's significant."

Cousins missed almost a full year of play with a torn left Achilles suffered last season in New Orleans. He signed a one-year deal with the Warriors, expecting that a healthy return to play would catapult him back into the free-agent market this summer.

Cousins had shown steady progress and glimpses of his All-NBA self before Monday's injury, but now he could be facing several more months of rehab on the quad. The injury occurred with 8 minutes, 30 seconds left in the first quarter after Cousins knocked away a pass from Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari. As he tried to chase down the ball, he fell to the floor before he could control the ball.

He tried to get up and keep going, but once he rose to his feet, he immediately called to be taken out of the game. He then gingerly made his way back to the Warriors' locker room with team medical personnel.

Cousins' injury left the Warriors' locker room stunned. After all the hard work the former All-Star put into getting back on the floor, his teammates couldn't believe he faced the possibility of being done for the postseason.

"It's tough, for sure," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "You feel for him considering what he's been through this last year. This is a big stage, the playoffs. He's been looking forward to this. I don't know the extent of the injury at this point. Hope he gets back sooner than later. Just man-to-man in terms of him, what he's been through, it's tough for sure. There's no sugarcoating it at all. You hate seeing that opportunity again on this big stage taken away from him like that."

With Cousins potentially lost for the season, it will be up to veteran Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney to pick up even more slack for the rest of the Warriors' playoff run.

"Obviously there will be more minutes," Bogut said. "It'll still be matchup-dependent, but I anticipate probably starting games, playing the first three or four minutes and then coming out. Hopefully it's not too serious. It didn't look good. Not going to make any guesses because we're not doctors. Hopefully we'll get a good result [Tuesday] once he gets to the machine."

With the win, the Clippers evened the first-round playoff series at one game apiece. Game 3 is Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The No. 7 seeds in each conference enter Tuesday's Game 2s having stolen home-court advantage -- for now.

Here are the key adjustments and matchups to watch in Raptors-Magic and Nuggets-Spurs.

Raptors-Magic

Traditions must be honored. And so it is that sphincters will be a-tightening for Game 2 of a first-round series in Toronto.

A Raptors optimist -- just kidding, there is no such thing -- would chalk up Toronto's annual opening Saturday gag as a "make-or-miss-league" loss, and the Magic are indeed unlikely to hit 14-of-29 from deep again. But 48 percent from 3-point range is an expected outlier, if there is such a thing, not an insane one; Orlando hit at least 45 percent of its 3s in nine of 82 regular-season games. It happens. So does a decent shooting team -- Toronto -- hitting 33 percent of its 3s.

Orlando also shot 36 percent on 2-pointers, its worst figure in any game this season. Transfer a couple of made 3s from the Magic to the Drakes, and, sure, Toronto wins Game 1, but likely not in the convincing fashion we might expect from a No. 2 seed.

Orlando is 3-2 against Toronto this season. The Magic finished Game 1 with the poise of a postseason regular -- running their stuff, gauging the response of Toronto's defense, and guiding the ball to open shooters.

The Raptors are the better team, but they are going to have to play like it. How?

• Start by targeting D.J. Augustin when Orlando has him guarding Kyle Lowry -- as the Magic did for much of Game 1. Any screening action involving Lowry and Kawhi Leonard -- on or off the ball -- produced good results. Switch, and Leonard beasts:

Leonard destroys Evan Fournier, and that is instructive; Orlando's counter to any Augustin-hunting is to hide Augustin on Danny Green, leaving Fournier on Lowry, but that doesn't make switching any more palatable if Leonard can overwhelm Fournier. He can do the same to Wes Iwundu, who took the Leonard assignment when Aaron Gordon rested, and Michael Carter-Williams.

• Shift Augustin onto Green, and the Raptors can just use Green as a screener. Bonus: We might glimpse Green's slow-motion post-up game, which has been oddly effective against smaller point guards this season. If he hits a loping lefty hook off the glass, we all chug Molsons.

• Lowry and Leonard teamed in only three pick-and-rolls, per Second Spectrum, and that number should be higher in Game 2; the Magic don't want to switch that action, and Toronto pries open good stuff as the Magic help and recover:

• Lowry ran only eight pick-and-rolls combined, his sixth-lowest figure in any game this season, per Second Spectrum. That isn't enough. Toronto can generate open pick-and-pop 3s for Marc Gasol anytime by running Lowry/Gasol and Leonard/Gasol two-man actions. If a third defender lunges over to challenge Gasol's shot, he can shift into passing mode.

Lowry has never found the right balance in his offense when sharing the floor with Leonard. Perhaps they didn't play together enough. But he has erred on the side of passivity all season -- strangely so at times. Maybe his ankle and back are sore now, but Lowry going into hot-potato mode is not a new thing. (Lowry in hot-potato mode is still effective, by the way, because smart touch passes are generally good things, and he is a sharp cutter once he gets rid of the ball. But to go as far as they want, the Raptors need peak Lowry, and this ain't it.)

• If Toronto picks more at Orlando's weak spots, the Magic can respond by sending more help away from Pascal Siakam. Orlando did not pay him much attention off the ball in Game 1:

Toronto countered by putting the ball in Siakam's hands; Siakam ran eight pick-and-rolls, his second-highest total in any game all season, per Second Spectrum. Toronto got good shots when either Lowry, Leonard or Gasol screened for him. The Raps should keep plumbing that.

• The Raptors can also reverse the ball to Siakam, and have him run an immediate handoff with one of their good shooters as Siakam's defender rushes to recover. Think of Draymond Green when defenses ignore him.

• Those plays take verve, and Toronto was lethargic getting into its half-court offense at times in Game 1. They cut at half-speed. They whiffed on too many picks. Credit the Magic for some of that. They make teams uncomfortable and take away the easy stuff.

Going earlier would inject some needed side-to-side action. Orlando is not going to give a lot of offensive rebounds, free throws or fast-break points. Toronto needs to execute with more zip.

• Jonathan Isaac is long and fast enough to stray from Siakam without leaving him open too long, or flailing out of balance. He looms as an interesting bellwether. Isaac played 40 minutes in Game 1, most of any Orlando player. That is stunning, considering Orlando's best lineup -- its frequent closing group -- does not include him: Augustin, Fournier, Terrence Ross, Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. That group logged only two minutes in Game 1. (Orlando won those minutes 9-0.)

Isaac scored enough to pay it off. If the Magic veer toward that smaller group in Game 2, they might unlock Siakam's post game. They want Gordon guarding Leonard; if Isaac is on the bench, that leaves a smaller player on Siakam.

• Nick Nurse needs to be careful sitting Lowry, Leonard and Gasol at the same time. They rested together for five minutes in Game 1.

• I still get uneasy when Steve Clifford runs out bench-heavy units in which Ross and Gordon are the only offensive fulcrums. He has recently gone a step further, and leaned on a lineup of Carter-Williams, Ross, Iwundu, Isaac and Khem Birch. That group went minus-5 over three minutes in Game 1. (The version with Gordon in Isaac's place logged only one minute.) Those are "buying time" lineups. They are "close your eyes and hope some random jumpers go in" lineups.

Clifford already cut those groups to four total minutes in Game 1, and he went back to Fournier much sooner in the second half. That is playoff coaching.

• The Raptors are going to switch on defense with everyone but their centers. Watch Leonard, Green and Siakam trade assignments in rapid fire:

Toronto will fight to avoid switching its centers. That makes Vucevic an even more important hub for Orlando. Gasol can neutralize Vucevic in the post, but Vucevic is a problem in open space. He can pop for easy 3s, and make the correct pass when Toronto rotates an extra defender toward him.

Toronto did a decent job containing the Fournier-Vucevic two-man game on the left side of the floor, but when that action forces a switch, the Magic have to go into Vucevic on the block. They forfeited a couple of chances in Game 1.

• Toronto may toy with blitzing Augustin in Game 2. They trapped Ross on a few Ross/Birch pick-and-rolls, wagering correctly that Birch would not hurt them making plays far from the hoop. Vucevic can, which is why the Raptors should be wary overcorrecting for Augustin's scorching Game 1. If they blitz, Vucevic can slip to the rim, take a pocket pass, and do damage:

Vucevic mixing in some hard rolls is healthy regardless of Toronto's strategy. He has a nice floater, and when he watches film of Game 1, he'll see a few open kickout passes waiting to be made.

• Nurse going with Green on Augustin in the second half -- and Lowry on Fournier -- seemed to work.

• Toronto may have overreacted having its big men fly out to swarm Ross off pindown screens. Ibaka doubled him a few times when the screen didn't really hit; that set off a bad chain of reactions:

Let the help come from Carter-Williams' defender up top instead.

Nuggets-Spurs

• Two-thirds of San Antonio's attempts came from the midrange in Game 1, the highest such share for any game, by any team, this season, Ben Falk of Cleaning The Glass told me.

It should be impossible to win an NBA game in 2019 with that shot distribution, though as Falk pointed out Friday, the Spurs have specialized in winning extreme midrange games. It's not as if San Antonio feasted on easy catch-and-shoot 2s against Denver, either. They got some, but their guards -- mostly Derrick White and Bryn Forbes, with a couple of DeMar DeRozan toughies late -- canned a bunch of contested runners and pull-ups.

San Antonio finished with an effective field-goal percentage almost seven percentage points fatter than we would expect based on the location of each shot and the nearest defender, per Second Spectrum -- by far the highest Game 1 differential. The Spurs are a great shot-making team, but Denver should be fine with the shots San Antonio made.

• That includes shots Denver yielded when doubling DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge in the post. But should Denver bother doubling at all? They played stout one-on-one defense on both.

The Nuggets were more aggressive doubling Aldridge when Jakob Poeltl was also on the floor. Such lineups feature fewer spot-up shooters than smaller outfits with Rudy Gay in Poeltl's place, meaning Denver defenders have less distance to cover.

Denver was more judicious doubling when the Spurs stationed four shooters around Aldridge. That's smart. The Spurs scored just 0.7 points per possession on trips featuring an Aldridge post-up, and even fewer when those post-ups led directly to a shot, per Second Spectrum. Their defense on him (and DeRozan) worked.

Still: They might be able to dial back the double-teaming even more in Game 2.

• Something to monitor: San Antonio went minus-4 in 10 minutes with Poeltl and Aldridge together. That's a tiny one-game sample, and it's safe to start big against the Paul Millsap-Nikola Jokic duo. All things equal, Gregg Popovich always chooses big over small. But the Spurs have struggled all season with Poeltl and Aldridge together.

• The Spurs outscored opponents by four points per 100 possessions in the regular season when both Aldridge and DeRozan hit the bench. That was better than their margin when both were on the floor, or when either played without the other. Their bench won them a lot of games. But reserves don't get to beat up on bad bench units in the playoffs. Popovich preemptively adjusted by keeping one of DeRozan and Aldridge on the floor the whole of Game 1.

• As an aside, the degree to which DeRozan has stopped shooting 3s is astonishing. He is 0-of-5 from deep since Jan. 1. Total. From 2013-14 through 2016-17, DeRozan shot between 38 and 44 percent on corner 3s every season. Now he's not even standing behind the line when teams leave him open there:

San Antonio cobbled a really good offense with an old-school shot profile. Even so, there are possessions when an open DeRozan corner 3 is better than attacking as the shot clock ticks.

• The Nuggets kept Jokic closer to the paint than usual in defending the pick-and-roll. That makes sense. San Antonio's ball-handlers aren't going to start pulling up like Stephen Curry. Keep everyone in front of you, stay home on shooters, and make the Spurs work for tough 2s.

About that "stay home on shooters" part: Jamal Murray was awful tracking both the ball and his man on the perimeter, and the Spurs appeared to prey on him.

They put Murray in help position on the weak side. They had his man -- often White -- tiptoe along the arc when Murray peeked inside, and sprint into passes before Murray could find his bearings.

Ninety seconds into the game, Murray turned to watch the ball, spaced out, and lost Forbes for an easy 3-pointer. (Denver's defense out of timeouts was bad; they yielded several easy jumpers, including two more Forbes jumpers.)

• Murray's job gets even harder, and the Spurs more ruthless, when Mason Plumlee replaces Jokic at center. Plumlee ventures further out against the pick-and-roll, forcing Denver's perimeter defenders into longer and more urgent help rotations:

The Spurs could bait those rotations when Plumlee is in the game, and pass their way to some open 3s.

• Plumlee looked good switching onto DeRozan. That was interesting.

• Instead of posting up so often, the Spurs might look to use Aldridge in more pick-and-pops. If Jokic is going to hang near the rim, Aldridge can amble into wide-open looks from his happy place:

Note Millsap creeping off of Gay to wave at Aldridge, and Davis Bertans open behind Gay. Aldridge will see that, and be ready.

Denver could of course counter by nudging Jokic higher on the floor -- that has been their scheme all season -- but the Spurs might able to pass around him, and into some open 3s.

• The Spurs are abandoning both Will Barton and Gary Harris to help on even run-of-the-mill drives. Those guys are going to have to make shots.

• Oh, yeah, that: Denver went 6-of-28 from 3-point range, including 5-of-26 on looks that were either "open" or "wide open," per NBA.com. The Spurs know they can't stop Jokic in the post, so they are doubling him on almost every touch -- turning him into a passer. That is a strategy borne out of weakness, but it's still a strategy -- and it worked.

Denver should stay the course. Keep posting Jokic. More of those 3s are going to drop. They might vary their methods of springing Jokic into post position -- more duck-ins, more pick-and-rolls that morph into post-ups -- but the basic machinery is sound. Denver will get good looks running the offense through Jokic in the post, and from the elbows, with cutters whirring around him.

• They ran zero Jokic-Murray pick-and-rolls in Game 1. Zippo. That was the most effective pick-and-roll combination in the league during the regular season, per Second Spectrum. Use it! (We did see some Jokic-Gary Harris plays, but Harris is not as dynamic with the ball.)

• Murray setting pindowns for Jokic is always good:

That can work to free Jokic for a quick-hitting post-up.

• DeRozan loves bringing the ball up the sideline, and taking a screen from one of San Antonio's other perimeter players -- a method of getting a smaller defender switched onto him. That is when DeRozan can eat. Denver conceded a lot of those switches. When they didn't -- when they blitzed him instead -- DeRozan made the right play.

• Rudy Gay's recovery in San Antonio after tearing his Achilles has been one of the league's best under-the-radar stories. In the right role, in the right place, he is a really good player.

• Thing that makes me nervous: Barton as the only Denver starter on the floor.

Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was his own harshest critic Monday, taking his share of the blame for Boston's 6-11 start after last year's World Series championship.

"Basically, what I'm doing is unacceptable," Betts told reporters after Boston's 8-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. "I have to figure out a way to get something done and help the team."

Betts, the reigning American League MVP, went 0-for-3 on Monday. His batting average has fallen to .222, markedly down from his career-high .346 average in 2018.

He said he was taking "full ownership" for his struggles.

"I'm not really doing anything well right now. It sucks," Betts said. "Nothing really else to say, but it sucks and I have to figure out a way to make something happen."

But Betts is just one part of Boston's slow start in 2019. The loss to the Orioles completed a 3-3 homestand for the Red Sox, who have yet to win one of their five series this season.

"It doesn't concern me. It's just a bad start," manager Alex Cora said.

The Red Sox open a two-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday night in New York, where ace Chris Sale (0-3) will look for his first win.

Betts believes things will turn around in Boston.

"Obviously, the outside looking in, it looks pretty far," Betts said. "In the inside, it just seems like we're a hit or two away from scoring some runs. Maybe a bounce here or there. But for sure I have to do something, especially from the top of the lineup."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MIAMI -- Major League Baseball is investigating racist Instagram messages sent to Chicago Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr., a league spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The team also reacted to the messages, which came after Edwards struggled in his first few appearances of the season before he was demoted to Triple-A Iowa.

"We were shocked by the racist, profanity-laced social media message sent to Carl Edwards Jr. earlier this month," team president Theo Epstein said in a statement. "We vehemently condemn the content of the message and are supporting Major League Baseball's investigation to identify the person responsible.

"In a sport that celebrates diversity and unites people from all backgrounds, we are appalled anyone claiming to be a fan would send divisive and bigoted insults to a player. Whether spoken, posted or published, this type of reprehensible language and views cannot be tolerated in our game or society."

Edwards, 27, was demoted after compiling a 32.40 ERA in four appearances this season.

"While he has mentioned being upset at social media attacks in the past, the recent incidents are completely beyond normal fan frustration," Edwards' agent, Lee Long, said. "No player should be expected to bear such personal attacks especially based on the color of their skin. CJ has made a point to mention how appreciative he is of the Cubs fans for their support. Furthermore, we are very appreciative of the efforts of the Cubs, MLB and the union in addressing this matter."

Edwards is just the latest to receive vile rhetoric. African-American athletes have been subjected to it for years, in Chicago and elsewhere. Former Cubs manager Dusty Baker and outfielder Jacque Jones had to deal with similar attacks even before the social media age.

After being designated for assignment, Cleveland Indians utility man Brad Miller took a shot at the team.

"They acknowledge that it wasn't fair," he said. "But I'm just a player. I go out there and play my hardest and play for the guys next to me. Obviously, they don't want the best guys up here. So I'm just trying to take it somewhere else and see what we've got."

Miller, 29, was moved to make room for the return of All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis from a calf strain. Miller's chief complaint appears to be that he was hitting .250 while the Indians are last in the league with a team batting average of .194.

Besides activating Kipnis, the Indians also could get fellow All-Star Francisco Lindor back soon. He was sent to Triple-A Columbus for a rehab assignment from an ankle injury.

Miller is a career .240 hitter with the Mariners, Rays, Brewers and Indians. He indicated that he understands that he was caught in a numbers game, but said he just wants a chance.

"I'm a player," Miller said. "I really enjoyed playing for Tito [Terry Francona]. That's why I'm frustrated. I want to be here. I like this group. It's a good team and I was hoping I'd be a part of it, but they have other plans.

"I think the writing was on the wall from the get-go. I just hope I can go somewhere else and get after it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- The banged-up New York Yankees added yet another player to the injured list Tuesday.

This time, it was Greg Bird, the oft-injured first baseman who has been struggling offensively. Bird was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sunday, with a left plantar fascia tear.

In a corresponding move, the Yankees called up first baseman Mike Ford from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and signed him to a major league contract.

It's unclear how long Bird will be out.

Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who hasn't played in nearly two years, has been on the Yankees' IL since last season, due in part to his own plantar fascia issue. While continuing to rehab from that foot injury, Ellsbury was transferred Tuesday to the 60-day IL.

Luke Voit will be the Yankees' primary first baseman for the time being, with Ford largely serving as his backup. The Yankees also probably would feel comfortable platooning the two players in a first baseman/designated hitter situation, with Voit perhaps seeing the bulk of action in the DH role.

Of the 14 games he has appeared in this season, Voit has DHed nine times.

Ford, a New Jersey native, brings a hot bat to the Bronx after slugging five homers and 14 RBIs in 10 Triple-A games this season. He had a 1.364 OPS in that limited action with the RailRiders. The Princeton product has spent his entire career with the Yankees, getting signed as a undrafted free agent in 2013.

It's unclear exactly how Bird suffered the injury, but he was seen hobbling up the first-base line after beating out a ground ball against the White Sox on Saturday. He later scored as part of a three-run inning that powered the Yankees to a win.

Bird, who batted under .200 in limited action in each of the previous two seasons, is currently hitting .171 (6-for-35) with one homer and one RBI this season.

He has dealt with shoulder problems throughout his career and had surgery last spring on his right ankle after dealing with another injury to the same ankle the previous season.

With Bird now sidelined, the Yankees once again have a dozen players on their IL.

While starter CC Sabathia came off the IL to make a brilliant five-inning, one-hit season debut over the weekend, New York is still missing the likes of Giancarlo Stanton (left biceps strain), Miguel Andujar (small labrum tear), Troy Tulowitzki (left calf strain) and Gary Sanchez (left calf strain), among others.

It is far too early to say the Red Sox are really in trouble, or Dan Vogelbach is really a star. It is not, on the other hand, too early to say we're really going to see yet another league record for strikeouts, and home runs are probably really returning to the juiced-ball levels of 2017.

In between, though, are a number of ways baseball in 2019 has been broadly different this year than it ever has been before. Sometimes these early-season shifts turn out to be flukes, or seasonal; sometimes, they bear out as real, substantive changes in how the game is played. We're roughly 10 percent of the way into the 2019 season, and we'll look at three of those early leaguewide anomalies to see how they fit into the historical trendlines; how April specifically affects them; and whether the best explanation is permanent change or something flukier.

1. Triples have disappeared

There have been 0.14 triples hit per team per game this season, which would be the lowest in history.

Where it fits in historical trends: The long-term trend -- since the 1920s -- for triples has been down, but the dips have been slow and irregular. In the 1920s, the average team tripled about once every two games; in the 1930s and 1940s, it dropped to once every three; in the 1950s through the early 1980s, it was about once every four; and then over the next three decades, it was once every five. Over the past two decades, triples have occasionally dropped further still, and the three lowest triple rates in history came in 2013 (0.16 per game), 2017 (0.16 again) and 2018 (0.17). If this season holds at 0.14 triples per game, it would be the lowest rate in history, about 150 triples fewer leaguewide than were hit last year.

But is it just April? It doesn't appear to be. April has actually been the most typical month of the season for triples. And early-April triple rates have historically matched late-April rates. So while one might speculate that runners would be more cautious on cold/wet days, that doesn't seem to affect anything broadly. Early April is a good indication for the rest of the season.

But is this really just about home runs or strikeouts? This is important, because almost every story these days is really just about home runs or strikeouts. Triples might be down because players are hitting fewer triples. But they might be down because players are hitting fewer balls, generally, meaning this could be just one of the many outcomes lost to extra third strikes.

So instead of looking at triples per game, we can look at triples per ball in play, and we can look at triples per double. As noted, triples have fluctuated a bit -- and declined a bit -- since the turn of the century, but that has been almost entirely caused by strikeouts. The rate of triples per ball in play has been incredibly steady, at 0.7 percent of balls in play. This could be the first year ever to drop below 0.6 percent:

Another way to look at it is examining the ratio of triples to doubles, which are the closest cousin to triples. There have been eight triples for every 100 doubles hit this year, which would also be an all-time low.

So triples are convincingly down this year, and it can be explained only partly by the two big changes in home run and strikeout rates. And, indeed, this goes counter to another recent trend, of more playing time going to young position players. (Triples peak in a player's early 20s.)

So it's real? If you can think of a way players get to third base and stop there -- stealing third, or sacrificing a teammate from second to third, or going from first to third on a single, or hitting a danged triple -- then it has probably become less frequent in the past few years. Rob Mains has recently written about this at Baseball Prospectus, with two hypotheses: Sabermetrics has shown that the risk of advancing from second to third on a contested play (or in exchange for an out) isn't worth it, by run-expectancy models; and fear of injuries has made runners more cautious, more station-to-station.

There's another good reason, too: Strikeouts and home runs! In a high-strikeout environment, teams are less likely to get the runner home from third base on a sacrifice fly or groundout. And in a high-homer era, there's less disadvantage to stopping at second, since a home run scores all baserunners equally. So, while the drop in triples isn't explicitly about strikeouts and home runs, it sort of is.

With all that said -- we're talking about maybe only 15 missing triples, compared to last year's rates. Triples are going to continue to be down relative to when you were in elementary school, but it's too early to say they'll continue to be down relative to last year.

2. Pitchers are wilder than ever

There have been 3.48 walks per game, 0.43 batters hit by pitches per game, and 0.39 wild pitches per game. The latter two would be the highest rates since 1900; the walks would be the highest since 2000.

Perhaps most significantly, all this wildness has led to (and/or resulted from) longer plate appearances, which have led to longer games: Despite pace-of-game reforms, the average nine-inning game in 2019 is on track to match the slowest in history, at 3 hours, 5 minutes -- five minutes longer than last year.

Where it fits in historical trends:

• Hit batsmen had been fairly steady for about a century before ticking up in the mid-1990s and spiking in the mid-2000s. But that spike retreated until last year, when the league set a modern high at 0.4 HBP per game.

• Wild pitches were fairly steady until a jump in the 1960s, and were then fairly steady for decades after that, but have inched continuously up this decade.

• Walks peaked at the height of the steroid era but dropped a lot this decade (about 3 per game from 2011 to 2016), until the juiced ball came along. The 2017 and 2018 rates were high (3.26 and 3.23, respectively), but this year is much higher still.

But April? Yes, April is the busiest month for wildness: HBPs are generally 3 percent higher than the rest of the season, wild pitches 4 percent higher, and walks 6 percent higher. The first two weeks of the season are wilder still, and these per-game rates have already quieted down some since last week.

If we were to adjust each of these wildness measures down by 6 percent, then we'd still be on track for the new highs in HBPs (since 1900) and walks (since 2000), but the jumps would be less extreme and the chances of regression to normal levels would be more compelling.

But is it really just about home runs or strikeouts? Yeah. Even stipulating that there's a good chance all these wildness stats will regress to something in line with 2018 and 2017, there are clear ways pitchers have changed their approaches even more this year, to add strikeouts and to avoid home runs:

Fastball rates:
2010: 63.5 percent of all pitches
2018: 60.8 percent
2019: 58.7 percent

Inside pitches:
2010: 27.6 percent of all pitches
2018: 29.1 percent
2019: 30.1 percent

As Baseball Prospectus' Matt Trueblood has been documenting, full counts are way up this year, with 15.4 percent of plate appearances now reaching such a point. Pitches per plate appearance, at 3.95, are way up from last year's 3.90, which was itself a record. More pitches mean more opportunities for hit batsmen and wild pitches, of course. Beyond that, though, pitchers are showing clear intention here: Avoiding contact and working cautiously to get to the deep counts where a strikeout pitcher's advantage grows. This isn't really that pitchers are wild, but that they're choosing a wilder way of pitching.

So it's real? Basically. Although, as with triples, it's easier to say that baseball has definitely changed in the past few years than it has definitely changed this month. I'm extremely confident we'll see a new record for pitches per plate appearance this year. The rest will likely follow.

3. Relievers are bad

Relievers' ERA (4.44) is, collectively, higher than starters' ERA (4.33). Relievers have also allowed exactly the same OPS as starters.

Where it fits in historical trends: Through the 1950s, relievers were pretty much always worse than starters, and even into the mid-1970s it wasn't uncommon for relievers to collectively allow more offense than starters did. But that was a different era, when relievers were really more like backups -- the second string -- than they were a part of everyday baseball strategy. Since the relief era really took off in the late 1980s, relievers have always pitched considerably better than starters, not because they've been better pitchers but because they've been quality pitchers used in shorter stints and, usually, with the platoon advantage generally in their favor. (In other words: Starters are better, but relievers have the easier job.)

If this holds, it would be the first time since 1988 that relievers have allowed a higher ERA than starters did, or as high of an OPS. Indeed, from 1988 through 2017, there was only one season when relievers' ERA wasn't at least 5 percent lower than starters'.

But last year, relievers' ERA was just 3 percent lower than starters, and their OPS allowed was just 1 percent lower. This year, relievers' ERA is 3 percent higher than starters.

You'd have to go back to 1954 to find a year when starters were that much better than relievers.

But April? The gap between starters and relievers is smallest in April (and September), but smallest doesn't mean small. Since 1988, relievers' ERA has been about 6 percent better than starters' in March and April. The gap grows -- to about 8 percent -- in May through August, but even early in the season it is a real aberration to have starters outpitching relievers.

That said, weird things do happen in short stretches, and a reversal like this for a month isn't unprecedented. Starters outpitched relievers in April 2009, before things went back to normal the rest of the season. Also in 1997 and in 1994.

Home runs and strikeouts? Not exactly, but sort of. The crucial detail here, if this reversal turns out to be real and persistent, is relievers are throwing more innings than they ever have before, which dilutes the collective reliever pool. There have been 4.43 pitchers per game this year, which would be a record; relievers have thrown 41 percent of all innings, which would also be a record. There were 285 pitchers who appeared in relief during teams' first 12 games this season. There were 261 in the first dozen games of 2017 -- and it's safe to say those extra 24 are dragging down, not lifting up, the collective reliever stats. There were 232 relievers in the first 12 days of 2010. Dozens of pitchers have thrown relief innings this year who would probably have been in the minors most any other year.

Furthermore, we can't really say relievers are worse except in relation to starters, and starters have been the statistical beneficiaries of modern pitcher usage. Fewer and fewer starters are asked to face batters a third time in the game, to throw a pitch while exhausted, or to pace themselves to get through eight or nine innings. Each season, starters are able to pitch more like relievers -- at full tilt, basically. A big reason teams prefer to use their starters this way -- five innings and then out -- is they like their starters to pitch for strikeouts, and they don't like having tired starters in the game giving up home runs.

So it's real? It's probably not all the way real. There hasn't been a substantial increase in relief innings since last season, or in relievers used since last season, so it's hard to explain why there'd be such a substantial change in results since last season. The best bet is relievers will settle in to a level much like last year, when they allowed 3 percent fewer earned runs than starters. But that was a big change, an anomalous season matched only once in the previous 40 years. We wondered, at the end of the 2017 season, why five-inning starters weren't closing the gap on relievers, statistically. Then they did, a lot. This April is providing strong evidence that last year, at least, was real.

The 10-day Olympic Games athletics schedule includes nine morning in-stadium finals

The athletics timetable for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has been published, with the 10-day schedule featuring a number of morning finals and the addition of the mixed 4x400m relay.

Competition will begin with the men’s 20km race walk on Friday July 31 and conclude with the men’s marathon on the final day of the Games, Sunday August 9.

The marathons will both start at 6am local time, with the women’s race taking place on day three, Sunday August 2. The men’s 50km race walk will begin at 5:30 on the penultimate morning, while the men’s and women’s 20km race walk events will start at 6am. The early starting times have been set “to give athletes the coolest and safest possible race conditions”.

Nine in-stadium finals will take place during the morning sessions, while the women’s 100m final will be on the evening of day two and the men’s on the evening of day three. The men’s 10,000m final is on the evening of day one, while the women’s is on the the last evening of action, on Saturday August 8.

The mixed 4x400m relay will be held on the evening of day two with the aim of allowing athletes the chance to also compete in the individual 400m events and the traditional 4x400m relay races if they wish, though the men’s 400m heats take place the next morning and both 400m hurdles competitions will be under way.

The decathlon and heptathlon events will be staged together in the same two-day period of August 5-6.

The full timetable can be downloaded here (times stated are local time).

“The Tokyo 2020 schedule is substantially different from our previous Olympic timetables, but will offer the vast majority of athletics fans attending the Games the opportunity to see Olympic medals being decided, with finals scheduled in 15 of the 17 sessions in the main stadium,” said IAAF competitions director Paul Hardy.

“Having finals in the morning, as requested by the International Olympic Committee, will enhance the visibility of athletics across all time zones.

“The stadium-based distance events remain in the evening sessions to reduce the risk of very hot conditions for our endurance athletes, while the road events will start as early as practicable in the morning.

“The new schedule also accommodates both the traditional doubles and the historic addition of the mixed 4x400m relay, the first time that athletics has combined the talents of both male and female athletes in one event at the Games.”

Glasgow will again host an ATP Challenger event this year, the Lawn Tennis Association has announced.

Singles and doubles events will take place at Scotstoun Sports Campus from 16-22 September.

Last year's inaugural event was attended by more than 3,000 spectators with Slovakia's Lukas Lacko winning the singles.

"Some of the best memories have been playing Davis Cup ties at home," said Scottish doubles player Jamie Murray.

"I am delighted to be working with the LTA and Glasgow Life on the planning and delivery of an ATP Challenger in Scotland later this year."

Murray, who has played a role in the planning of the event, added: "We hope to make this year's tournament more successful, providing a platform to inspire more young people in Scotland to take up our sport.

"I look forward to seeing everyone again in September."