Short King
Jose Altuve (HOU): 4-4, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
Jose Altuve has always defied the odds with his prowess at the plate despite his 5’6″ frame, and now he is also starting to defy the odds in terms of age, as he is showing no signs of slowing down at 35. The diminutive destroyer of baseballs blasted his 18th HR of the season, a three-run second inning shot off All-Star MacKenzie Gore, as the Astros cruised to a 9-1 victory. Altuve’s 4-for-4 day on Wednesday continued a scorching hot July, hitting .321/.391/.563. Sitting at 247 career HRs, it is not unreasonable to think that he could reach 300 in his career if he can continue hitting at this rate for another three to five seasons. If he is able to accomplish that incredible feat, Altuve will become only the ninth player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, joining the likes of Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders, Steve Finley, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltrán. And I assure you that none of those legends of the game did it while being the shortest player in the league.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Wednesday:
Myles Straw (TOR): 3-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI.
The AL East-leading Blue Jays eked out a 9-8 victory over Baltimore in a back-and-forth affair thanks to a big day from centerfielder Myles Straw. The former Astro hit a two-run HR in the second inning, his second of the year, and followed it up with an RBI double in the fifth.
Jordan Westburg (BAL): 2-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Although it has been an injury-plagued season for 2024 All-Star Jordan Westburg, he has been very impressive when on the field. The 26-year-old slugger hit his 12th HR in just 224 at-bats for the Orioles and is hitting .364/.400/.606 over the last week.
Colt Keith (DET): 3-3, 2 R, RBI.
Bumped up to the leadoff spot against Arizona’s right-handed starter Ryne Nelson, Colt Keith rapped out three singles to set the table for Detroit’s 7-2 win, their fourth straight after losing 12 out of 13. The 23-year-old former top prospect has gradually improved upon his rookie season and has turned in a modest .253/.336/.404 line in 2025.
Kerry Carpenter (DET): 2-3, HR, 3B, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The Detroit offense desperately needed Kerry Carpenter to get healthy, and he came through in a big way on Wednesday. Carpenter got the scoring started with an RBI triple in the third to bring home Keith, and knocked the leadoff hitter in again with a two-run HR in the fifth inning to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. The 27-year-old righty masher is up to 17 HRs in just 276 at-bats this season, with all but two of them coming against RHP.
Jarren Duran (BOS): 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI.
Although trade rumors have been buzzing about Jarren Duran, he has not let it affect his performance at the plate. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP homered and drove in four runs in Boston’s blowout victory over Minnesota, and he should still be viewed as one of the better outfielders in the game despite not quite living up to his incredible second half from last season.
Romy González (BOS): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
Romy González just continues to mash for Boston, hitting a three-run ninth inning HR to bring his 2025 line up to .295/.337/.548. Although his HR was off a position player, it was the son of Roger Clemens, so I guess that is worth something. Regardless, it has been a career year for the 28-year-old.
Masataka Yoshida (BOS): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.
After a lengthy stint on the IL, Masataka Yoshida hit his first HR of the season for the Red Sox, albeit off Kody Clemens in the ninth inning as well. Yoshida also stole his second base as he works his way back to form. It will be interesting to see how Boston divides up the playing time among their plethora of outfielders, especially if they don’t move any at the deadline.
Yainer Diaz (HOU): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Astros catcher hit his 15th HR of the season as part of the team’s five-run fifth inning that blew open their 9-1 win over Washington. While his .252/.283/.419 line is down significantly from the past two seasons, Diaz is still a solid hitter at the plate, and he will be vital to Houston’s playoff push as the team tries to hold on to the AL West lead.
Kyle Teel (CHW): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Kyle Teel continues to impress for the suddenly red-hot Chicago White Sox, hitting his second career HR in the team’s 9-3 victory over Philadelphia. Chicago is now 8-4 since the All-Star break, and the 23-year-old catcher is hitting .400/.400/.680 over the last week.
Edgar Quero (CHW): 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI.
The White Sox have quite the dilemma on their hands, with two outstanding young catchers vying for time behind the plate. While Teel served as the DH on Wednesday, Edgar Quero was behind the dish and matched his teammate with a HR of his own. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has also been impressive of late for Chicago, hitting .346/.417/.635 with all three of his career HRs over the past 15 games.
William Contreras (MIL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Brewers were unable to match the powerful Cubs lineup on Wednesday, falling 10-3, but it wasn’t because of catcher William Contreras, as the two-time All-Star hit a pair of solo shots off Chicago starter Shota Imanaga. Contreras’ .250/.348/.363 line is a far cry from the numbers he has put up the past three seasons, especially in the power department, so his HR display yesterday was hopefully a sign of things to come in the last two months of the season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI.
Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his incredible 2025 season on Wednesday, going three for four with two doubles to lead the Cubs to a comfortable victory. To put his season into perspective, PCA ranks sixth in the MLB in HRs (27), third in doubles (30), tied for tenth in triples (four), is top ten in runs (74) and RBI (78), and is fourth in stolen bases (29). Absolutely incredible for a guy who hit .237/.286/.384 in 2024.
Gavin Sheets (SD): 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
Gavin Sheets has slowly tumbled down the San Diego lineup, but he played a big role in the team’s 5-0 win over the Mets on Wednesday. Sheets extended the Padres’ lead to 4-0 with a two-run third inning HR off Clay Holmes and added his second stolen base of the season later in the game. Sheets has hit just .182/.262/.309 over his last 15 games, and it will be interesting to see what moves San Diego makes at the deadline to address the offense.
Jesus Sanchez (MIA): 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI.
Jesus Sanchez provided all the offense Miami needed in its 2-0 win over St. Louis, cranking a 439-foot HR in the third inning off Miles Mikolas for his tenth of the season. Sanchez was seeing Mikolas well as he also doubled in the first inning off the right-hander.
Miguel Andujar (ATH): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Athletics brought out their power bats on Wednesday, hitting four home runs off Bryan Woo to steal a 5-4 win from Seattle. Miguel Andujar led the charge with a pair of solo HRs for his fifth and sixth of the season. The 30-year-old has bounced around a bit since his breakout 27 HR season in 2018, but the utility man is still a solid presence at the plate, as evidenced by his .298/.329/.436 line in 2025.
