just in the last week and a half he has scored from 2nd on a ground ball, score from 3rd on grounder to the pitcher and scored from 3rd on a popout to the 2nd baseman..
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Padres let the Pirates catch?Comment -
So next Sunday, the Red Sox and Yankees are playing in London at 3 PM local time (10 AM EDT)[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
As expected, the Dodgers have placed infielder David Freese on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain, as reported by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Catcher Will Smith has been recalled to take Freese’s spot on the active roster.
Freese, 36, has emerged as a key part of the Dodgers’ offense, posting a career-best .308/.407/.592 slash line. The veteran infielder earned himself a one-year contract to return to Los Angeles after an impressive showing late last season, when he was acquired from the Pirates in August. This season, he has doubled down on that production and shown himself a steady contributor at the corner infield.
Though Freese made a name for himself as a third baseman, he has suited up primarily at first for the first-place Dodgers, often spelling Max Muncy against left-handed pitchers. Surely, Freese will be missed, but Muncy has shown himself more than capable of handling southpaws when called upon, and the versatile Dodgers have a number of options who can pick up slack in Freese’s absence: Cody Bellinger, Enrique Hernandez, and Matt Beaty have experience at first, and the Dodgers would like Joc Pederson to get more reps there.
Smith rejoins the Dodgers after getting his first taste of the Majors in May. Smith, regarded as an above-average offensive performer at the catcher position, flashed that potential in his first big-league stint, but hasn’t gotten enough experience to draw many conclusions. His numbers in Triple-A this season are impressive, slashing a tidy .291/.397/.609 in 49 games.Comment -
Dodgers sweep Rockies with three straight walk-off homers from rookies
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Crazy 9th inning in that Sunday Night Baseball game. 8 runs scored in the 9th to send the total soaring over the posted total of 9. Glad I didn't have any money on that game because both bullpens were garbage.Comment -
Angels gave me a scare; up 6-0 in the 9th, then concede 4... Still a win is a win
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Alonso tops Strawberry's Mets rookie HR mark
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hit his 27th home run of the season Sunday to set the franchise rookie record.
Alonso's homer in the top of the fourth inning off the Chicago Cubs' Cole Hamels traveled 454 feet to center at Wrigley Field. The home run is tied for his second-longest this season.
Darryl Strawberry had held the Mets' record for home runs by a rookie since he hit 26 in 1983. He was the National League Rookie of the Year that season and hit his 26 home runs in 122 games. Alonso hit his 27th home run in just his 77th game.
"Congrats to Pete for breaking my record which has stood for a long time. What he's done in a short period of time is most impressive. No goal seems out of reach. I wish Pete and [the] Mets all the best the rest of [the] year," Strawberry said in a statement released by the team.Comment -
Did Darryl Strawberry actually say that? lol. Alonso is absolutely mashing thoughComment -
Strawberry said that between lines of coke.Comment -
Diamondbacks putting up a fight... lets go DodgersComment -
The Athletics lost ace Frankie Montas to an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension last week, but the team nonetheless seems more focused on improving its bullpen than its starting staff as the July 31 trade deadline nears.
Speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser on the A’s Plus podcast Monday, general manager David Forst said, in part, “I think the bullpen is probably the first place we look, not because we don’t like the group we have here but because it’s been less consistent than it was last year – which was inevitable.”
The A’s bullpen managed a 3.80 ERA/3.89 FIP a year ago, though the figures have risen to 4.32/4.09 this season as closer Blake Treinen has taken steps backward. Treinen posted a jaw-dropping 0.78 ERA across 80 1/3 innings in 2018, but the number has shot to 4.08 over 35 1/3 frames this season, and the rest of his production has also gone in a discouraging direction. Adding injury to insult, the 30-year-old went to the shelf over the weekend with a shoulder issue.
Treinen’s decline aside, the Athletics have also gotten worse bottom-line production from fellow relievers Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken and Ryan Buchter in comparison to last season. Moreover, they lost important 2018 contributors in Jeurys Familia, Shawn Kelley and Fernando Rodney. Familia left for the Mets in free agency, Kelley signed with the Rangers, and Rodney got off to such a horrendous start this year that the Athletics released him at the end of May. And free-agent signing Joakim Soria – whom the A’s gave $15MM to help replace Familia and Kelley – has accounted for a disappointing 4.93 ERA through 34 2/3 innings, though his peripherals indicate it’s way too soon to write off the long-effective veteran.
In better news for the A’s, 2018-19 bullpen innings king Yusmeiro Petit is largely the same pitcher he was last year. While Petit has met expectations, no A’s reliever has been better than Liam Hendriks, who went from outrighted off their roster last July to pitching in a key role down the stretch a year ago. Hendriks has carried that momentum into this season, evidenced by a near-spotless 1.12 ERA/2.39 FIP in 40 1/3 innings.
Petit, Hendriks & Co. are still in obvious need of complements, which is something the A’s may be able to find both in and out of the organization in the coming weeks. Left-handed prospect A.J. Puk and righty Jharel Cotton could impact the team’s bullpen down the stretch. Puk’s on the mend from April 2018 Tommy John surgery, while Cotton underwent a TJ procedure in March 2018 and is now fighting back from a recent hamstring surgery. Even if the A’s expect late-year contributions from Puk and Cotton, though, they could still scour the trade market for help. There are plenty of relievers who figure to wind up on the move before July’s out, with the Giants’ Will Smith, Tony Watson and Sam Dyson, the Padres’ Kirby Yates, the White Sox’s Alex Colome, the Tigers’ Shane Greene and the Orioles’ Mychal Givens among an even larger group of potential trade pieces.
A beefed-up bullpen would take pressure off Oakland’s Montas-less rotation, which doesn’t necessarily look as if it’s primed to welcome outside acquisitions.
“You add a starter toward the end of July, there’s a limited number of appearances you’re talking about,” Forst told Slusser. “Not that I wouldn’t consider adding a starting pitcher but the cost in both dollars and player capital is typically high that time of year for starting pitching. So you have to balance that with the impact a reliever can make more often with the impact the guys from within the organization can make.”
Even with a breakout 90 innings from Montas, this hasn’t been a lights-out statistical year for the A’s starting staff. Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, Chris Bassitt and Tanner Anderson have prevented runs at acceptable rates over a combined 243 frames. However, the peripherals of Fiers, Anderson and Bassitt portend trouble, and Anderson has a meager three starts and 15 innings to this point. Oakland does have one or two impactful reinforcements on the way, though, including prized lefty prospect Jesus Luzardo. The 21-year-old Luzardo, who’s on the comeback trail from a shoulder strain, could finally make his major league debut in early July, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. On the other hand, No. 1 2018 starter Sean Manaea – who hasn’t pitched since undergoing left shoulder surgery last September – is now dealing with right side soreness.
With Luzardo and Manaea still unavailable at the moment, the A’s could recall Daniel Mengden or Paul Blackburn from Triple-A Las Vegas, according to Slusser, who writes southpaw Wei-Chung Wang’s “a strong possibility” to function as an opener against lefty-heavy lineups. Those aren’t the most exciting options, but if we’re to believe Forst, the A’s seem OK with the starting choices they have on hand.Comment -
The Phillies announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran reliever Fernando Salas. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster, while fellow righty Enyel De Los Santos was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to clear a spot on the active roster.
Salas, 34, opened the season pitching in the Mexican League but signed a minor league contract with the Phillies a couple of weeks ago. Salas notched a terrific 30-to-4 K/BB ratio while pitching in Mexico and has been sharp for the Phils’ Triple-A club since signing. In 6 2/3 frames with Lehigh Valley, he’s allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Last season, Salas spent the bulk of the year with the Diamondbacks, logging a 4.50 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 40 innings of relief. He’s a veteran of nine big league seasons and has thrown at least 30 2/3 frames at the MLB level every year dating back to his 2010 debut with the Cardinals. In 487 innings as a Major Leaguer, Salas owns a 3.90 ERA with averages of 8.7 strikeouts, 2.8 walks and 1.03 homers allowed per nine innings pitched. He’s tallied 30 saves in his career to along with 76 holds.
The Phillies have the equivalent of a full MLB bullpen on the injured list, but the team announced some encouraging news with regard to its bevy of injured relievers today. Per Scott Lauber of Philly.com (Twitter link), right-hander Tommy Hunter will throw 20-25 pitches in a rehab appearance at Double-A tomorrow, while David Robertson is playing catch today and could throw a bullpen session Wednesday.Comment -
Phillies back in the win column after 7 straight losses.Comment -
Yanks tie record with HR in 27th straight game
The New York Yankees tied the major league record for the longest streak of consecutive games with a home run when Aaron Hicks went deep in the fifth inning on Monday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees have now homered in 27 straight games, tying the record set by the 2002 Texas Rangers. New York beat Toronto 10-8 on Monday.Comment -
That 02 Rangers team was pretty absurd too, ARod (57 homers), Palmeiro (43 homers), Pudge Rodriguez (19 homers)Comment -
mang underdogs are taking a fuking beatingComment -
Dodgers bullpen let me down last night.Comment -
Going to try to bet the late game today. Rockies vs Giants Good luckComment -
Twins keep it rolling, very impressive.Comment -
The Rangers announced that they’ve activated outfielder Joey Gallo from the injured list. Gallo went on the IL on June 2 with a left oblique strain.
Texas posted a 13-9 record without Gallo, which is an excellent outcome considering his importance to the team. The 42-36 club is sitting a game back of an American League wild-card spot as it gears up for Gallo’s return.
While Gallo was a 40-home run hitter in each of the previous two seasons, the 25-year-old has truly busted out in 2019 with an exemplary .276/.421/.653 line and 17 home runs in 214 plate appearances. Among those who have amassed at least 200 PA this season, Gallo ranks fifth in wRC+ (168) and eighth in fWAR (3.2). Although offense is Gallo’s calling card, his defense shouldn’t be overlooked. Gallo has helped drive up his value this season with six Defensive Runs Saved and a 5.4 Ultimate Zone Rating across 394 innings divided between center and left field, making him one of the game’s top all-around players.
The Rangers deployed only Danny Santana and Delino DeShields in center during Gallo’s absence, while Santana, Hunter Pence, Shin-Soo Choo and Willie Calhoun handled left. Santana helped fill Gallo’s void of late by going on a hot streak, and DeShields has also performed better recently. Meanwhile, Pence, Choo and Calhoun have held their own at the plate this year over disparate sample sizes. Pence is unavailable at the moment, though, having gone to the IL on June 16 with a strained groin.Comment -
MLB Network reported Tuesday morning that the Giants and Dodgers haven't ruled out a trade that would send San Francisco closer Will Smith to Los Angeles.........Comment -
from MLB website:
The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees lay claim to one of the most heated rivalries in professional sport and for one weekend only, these two giants of baseball are coming to London.
On June 29-30, history will be made as two regular season MLB games will be hosted in Europe for the very first time.
London Stadium, one of the capital's most iconic sporting venues, will be dramatically transformed into a 60,000-seater ballpark and play home to the Red Sox as they look to settle old scores against their most formidable foes, the Yankees.Comment
