That Just Happened

Nick Markakis finished 4-for-5 with a solo home run. It was his first four hit game of the season and his average now sits at an elite .319. His home run was a game-winner in the top of the tenth inning. Ender Inciarte also got in on the action in the Braves 5-4 win, he finished 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs.

There were some big-time performances from both sides in the White Sox 8-7 win over the Rays. First on Chicago’s side, Avisail García smacked a pair of home runs, walked, and scored three times. He also stole a base, in what resulted in a 49.6 point day on FanDuel. Daniel Palka struck out four times, but he also swatted his seventeenth home run of the year. He has five home runs in his last 24 at-bats. For the Rays, the two standout performers were Mallex Smith and Joey Wendle . Smith collected four hits, a run, and stole his 23rd base of the year. He is 10-for-16 (.625) in his last six games. Wendle finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.

José Ramírez smacked home run number 33 in the Indians 4-3 win over the Angels. It was a three-run shot. Closing out the win for Cleveland was Brad Hand ; it was his third save as an Indian. Cody Allen was used in a setup role and this is something I would expect more of going forward, especially with the return of Andrew Miller .

Jack Flaherty fired six shutout innings in the Cardinals 2-1 win over the Pirates. He surrendered just three hits and struck out seven en route to his fifth win of the year. It snapped a streak of five straight starts of fewer than six innings. It was his fourth straight start of at least seven strikeouts and he now has eight such starts on the season.

The Rockies beat the Brewers 5-4 in eleven innings. Jon Gray started on the mound for Colorado and he was fantastic, firing eight innings of one-run baseball and striking out eight. Nolan Arenado had a nice day at the office as he finished 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk, a RBI, and two runs scored. He is now just one home run shy of topping 30 for the fourth straight season. Trevor Story only had one hit, but still managed to stuff the stat sheet with a home run, four RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Over on the Brewers side, Mike Moustakas hit his first home run for his new team.

Whit Merrifield had another big day for the Royals, he finished 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored. He is 10-for-19 (.526) so far in August and has continued to be a bright spot in the lowly Royal offense. On the season he now has seven home runs, 25 steals, and a .307 average.

Joey Lucchesi struck out nine in a no-decision against the Cubs. He pitched 5.2 innings and gave up two earned runs. He left in line for the win but the bullpen could not hold the lead. Eric Hosmer notched three base hits, including a triple, and drove in a pair. Overall it has been a disappointing first year as a member of the Padres for Hosmer, but he is 10-for-26 (.385) over the last seven games and appears to be heating up.  

Jonathan Villar seems to enjoy being a Baltimore Oriole, he finished today a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run and a steal and is now 8-for-17 since joining the team. He wasn’t the only player on his team to have a big day though, Mark Trumbo topped Villar’s day, finishing 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, and two runs scored. Their strong efforts helped lead the team to a 9-6 victory over the Rangers.

Trevor Cahill was lights out against the Tigers. He hurled six shutout innings and struck out 10. He picked up his fourth win of the year and lowered his ERA down to 3.12 in the process. Cahill has been a nice surprise for Oakland this year after he posted a 4.93 ERA last season in split time between the Padres and Royals.

Kyle Seager had a two homer day in the Mariners 6-3 win over Toronto. He now has 18 home runs on the year. Edwin Díaz pitched a clean ninth inning and struck out two to notch save number 41 on the season. He hasn’t given up an earned run since June 23, a span of 15 innings.

 

Pitchers Who Rake

Julio Teherán had a somewhat effective day on the mound – 5.2 innings, three runs, six strikeouts – but it’s what he did at the plate that had the baseball world buzzing. In the top of the fifth inning Teheran crushed his first career home run to bring the Braves within two of the Mets. See for yourself:

 


Burning Questions

Will the Red Sox complete the four game sweep over the Yankees tonight in Boston?

Roberto Osuna was officially added to the Astros roster, how loud will the boos be when he makes his first appearance?

 

Stay tuned.